Package for medics

The frontline soldiers battling the coronavirus pandemic have had a torrid phase in their professional life. Putting their own lives in peril, the medics have been tending to Covid-19 patients with selflessness and comely patience. This job, of necessity, entails close contact with the patients down with the deadly virus. The result is that hundreds of doctors in the country have been infected with the lethal virus and dozens of healthcare workers are reported to have died from it. The compassion with which they have been carrying out their duty in the face of great risk to their own lives required a commensurate acknowledgement of their role by the state.

Belated though, the government has come out with a package to recognise the invaluable services and sacrifices of medical practitioners, including paramedics. On Friday, Dr Zafar Mirza, the de facto health minister, unveiled the seven-point special package for health workers, most salient feature of which is the Martyrs Package. This would entail financial assistance to families of healthcare workers, who lose their lives during the pandemic. The package would range from Rs3 million to Rs10 million depending on their ranking grade. To ensure they have proper safety gear at all times, the government will assess needs of hospitals on a weekly basis in cooperation with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

It also proposes to ramp up security of hospitals so that healthcare workers are not harassed by relatives of coronavirus patients. This has been one of the key demands of medics who have had to perform duties amid risk of violent backlash from families of Covid-19 patients in the event of their death or perceived lack of care. Besides, training has been initiated on two fronts — a short course for 5,000 intensive care workers has begun in collaboration with experts from a Chinese university. Some 1,000 healthcare workers have already been trained under this course, according to Dr Mirza. Other features of the package include psychological support to medical workers, tax concession to them and soft loans for hospitals wanting to upgrade their facilities.

This all is but a small recognition of the selfless services being rendered by our valiant health practitioners.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2020.

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