K-P dedicates PIC to Covid treatment
450 additional beds to be added with NDMA help
Representational Image PHOTO: REUTERS
PESHAWAR:
With the province reporting 1,755 new novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases on Wednesday, taking the provincial tally to 23,388 cases with 855 associated deaths, the government has decided to dedicated the newly-constructed Peshawar Institute of Cardiology (PIC) for the treatment of coronavirus patients.
The health department has been directed to immediately take the necessary steps in this regard and to ensure the availability of doctors, paramedics, nurses and other staff so that the hospital can start working without any delay.
This decision was taken during a meeting of Provincial Task Force on Covid-19 on Wednesday. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan chaired the meeting.
While approving the conversion of the institute for treating Covid-19 patients, Mahmood gave the go-ahead for the health department to conduct walk-in-interviews for hiring staff for the new hospital.
Similarly, the communication and works department, PTCL and PESCO have also been directed to immediately provide utility connections to the PIC.
Earlier, the meeting was briefed that the number of Covid-19 cases in the province has increased to 23,388 cases after 1,755 new cases were confirmed on Wednesday. Moreover, 12 people succumbed to the virus, taking the total number of fatalities to 855. Further, 2,516 people recovered, taking the total number of recovered to 9,385.
The situation surrounding the smart lockdown and the progress made in enhancing the capacity of public sector hospitals and other matters related to the pandemic were briefed.
Participants of the meeting stressed the need to make the smart lockdown more effective by strictly implementing the standard operating procedures (SoPs) in markets by the divisional and district administrations.
Mahmood said that the issue of SoPs violation must be taken up with the elected representatives of the trader communities and that they must be given a couple of days to strictly implement the SoPs in their respective markets. If SoPs are violated in any market after that, then those markets will be immediately shut.
A strategy to contain the possible outbreak of Covid-19 during the Eidul Adha was discussed and a committee was constituted under the Home Department secretary for the purpose.
While the government approved the establishment of cattle markets, it stated that they will only be established in specific areas under the proper SoPs for buying and selling of sacrificial animals.
On enhancing the capacity of public sector hospitals of the province, the meeting was informed that with support from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 450 additional beds will be added to the PIC, the Women and Children’s Hospital in Charsadda and the Women and Children’s block at the Ayub Teaching Hospital in Abbottabad. A further 40 ICU beds, 110 HDU beds and 100 Isolation beds will be provided to PIC by mid-July.
At this, CM Mahmood directed that a central control room should be integrated with all hospitals.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 25th, 2020.
With the province reporting 1,755 new novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases on Wednesday, taking the provincial tally to 23,388 cases with 855 associated deaths, the government has decided to dedicated the newly-constructed Peshawar Institute of Cardiology (PIC) for the treatment of coronavirus patients.
The health department has been directed to immediately take the necessary steps in this regard and to ensure the availability of doctors, paramedics, nurses and other staff so that the hospital can start working without any delay.
This decision was taken during a meeting of Provincial Task Force on Covid-19 on Wednesday. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan chaired the meeting.
While approving the conversion of the institute for treating Covid-19 patients, Mahmood gave the go-ahead for the health department to conduct walk-in-interviews for hiring staff for the new hospital.
Similarly, the communication and works department, PTCL and PESCO have also been directed to immediately provide utility connections to the PIC.
Earlier, the meeting was briefed that the number of Covid-19 cases in the province has increased to 23,388 cases after 1,755 new cases were confirmed on Wednesday. Moreover, 12 people succumbed to the virus, taking the total number of fatalities to 855. Further, 2,516 people recovered, taking the total number of recovered to 9,385.
The situation surrounding the smart lockdown and the progress made in enhancing the capacity of public sector hospitals and other matters related to the pandemic were briefed.
Participants of the meeting stressed the need to make the smart lockdown more effective by strictly implementing the standard operating procedures (SoPs) in markets by the divisional and district administrations.
Mahmood said that the issue of SoPs violation must be taken up with the elected representatives of the trader communities and that they must be given a couple of days to strictly implement the SoPs in their respective markets. If SoPs are violated in any market after that, then those markets will be immediately shut.
A strategy to contain the possible outbreak of Covid-19 during the Eidul Adha was discussed and a committee was constituted under the Home Department secretary for the purpose.
While the government approved the establishment of cattle markets, it stated that they will only be established in specific areas under the proper SoPs for buying and selling of sacrificial animals.
On enhancing the capacity of public sector hospitals of the province, the meeting was informed that with support from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 450 additional beds will be added to the PIC, the Women and Children’s Hospital in Charsadda and the Women and Children’s block at the Ayub Teaching Hospital in Abbottabad. A further 40 ICU beds, 110 HDU beds and 100 Isolation beds will be provided to PIC by mid-July.
At this, CM Mahmood directed that a central control room should be integrated with all hospitals.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 25th, 2020.