In what should be described as a mere lip service, the authorities never cease to appreciate the central role of doctors and nurses in the fight against the rampaging virus, but they don’t do much in practice to cater to their needs. A very few talk about the sufferings of these soldiers in this conflict and what is the impact of losing even one of them. The standard ratio that the World Health Organization recommends for doctors and nurses is one per 1,000 people and one per 14 people respectively. It means that if we lose even one doctor, it will shift the burden of around 1,000 patients on other doctors while nurses will have to share the burden for an additional 14 patients.
In places like Pakistan, the situation is even more pathetic. The country did not meet the WHO’s standard ratios for health staff even in normal circumstances. With a surge in the number of patients infected with the coronavirus, our health infrastructure is already overloaded. Some district administrations have issued open calls for doctors and nurses to join their quarantine centers. According to the Pakistan Medical Association, more than 650 medical practitioners have been infected with the virus across the country while 10 doctors and three nurses have succumbed. This has created a shortage of staff to deal with the patients. The federal and provincial governments must immediately move to meet this genuine demand of our medical professionals or risk losing this battle.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 11th, 2020.
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