K-P hospitals face acute shortage of beds, claims YDA

Caseload of Covid-19 has swelled to dangerous levels

PESHAWAR: Young doctors in the province have warned that with a rapid spike, the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the province have reached a dangerous level and hospitals in the province are facing an acute shortage of beds and ventilators.

Young Doctors Association (YDA) representatives, while talking to The Express Tribune, urged the provincial government to take emergency measures to deal with the alarming situation.

The situation in public hospitals has worsened to the extent that people take Covid-19 patients from one health facility to another to get a bed to admit their patients, they said.

To make matters worse, over 400 doctors have been infected with the virus and most hospitals are facing a shortage of staff to deal with the deluge of patients.

The YDA representatives demanded that the provincial government take immediate measures to fill the gaps of medical staff and doctors in the province.

The further demanded that the provincial government take measures ensuring facilities at the tehsil hospitals and rural health centres. These health facilities, they said, should be linked with the teaching hospitals while all senior doctors across the province should be kept in reserve to protect them from the virus.

They further demanded that the general duty of senior doctors should be suspended.

They also demanded that medical staff should be provided proper security, noting that the police have failed to protect them. 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2020.