Several doctors and paramedical staff have lost their lives while performing their duties
KARACHI: The Gilgit-Baltistan Grand Health Alliance recently staged a protest sit-in — attended by around 400 nurses, doctors and paramedics — to demand PPEs in adequate amounts as well as all facilities needed to treat Covid-19 patients. They also drew the attention of the authorities towards the lack of incentives for healthcare professionals in G-B. The situation is even worse in remote areas where doctors even lack access to the basic protective gear.
The protesting healthcare professionals also expressed their displeasure over the disrespectful behaviour of the public amid the bizarre rumours that doctors are being paid by the WHO to declare random patients as coronavirus patients. Several doctors and paramedical staff have lost their lives while performing their duties, but their sacrifice remains unacknowledged. To the contrary, hospitals are being attacked by those who think healthcare professionals are responsible for the deaths of their loved ones.
The government must ensure the availability of necessary facilities for healthcare professionals all over the country. Safety equipment must be provided to healthcare workers performing duties in Covid wards, while surgical masks must be available for all doctors working in all other departments. There is a need to increase security in hospitals across the country as the lives of medical professionals are at stake.
Even though the services provided by healthcare professionals are invaluable, the government must increase their salaries and incentives as a gesture of acknowledgement and appreciation of their efforts. The public must be constantly reminded of the services that doctors, nurses and paramedical staff are rendering in such testing times.
Nayab Iqbal
Published in The Express Tribune, June 20th, 2020.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
