Sindh govt decides to shut down field isolation centres

Following the decline in the coronavirus cases in the country, the Sindh government has decided to shut down the field isolation centres set up at the Expo Centre and PAF Museum in Karachi. The isolation centres had been established following the outbreak of Covid-19 in Sindh.

The decision was taken during a meeting of the Coronavirus Emergency Fund (CEF), chaired by Sindh Chief Secretary (CS) Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah, on Monday. He stated that a summary in this regard would be sent to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah for approval.

"As the number of patients has decreased and there is enough space available in the hospitals to treat these patients, the isolation centres should be closed," he said, directing the Sindh Health Department to take inventory of the equipment and machinery in the isolation centres and install it in hospitals across the province.

He further asked the health department to ensure an ample supply of coronavirus testing kits, with educational institutions set to reopen for physical classes from Monday.

Meanwhile, the Sindh Health Department maintained that it had not received any confirmation about the closure of the field isolation centres, adding that they would be closed within 15 days after the CM issued directions in this regard.

The CEF was established by the provincial government on March 18, to help the fight the coronavirus pandemic through immediate mobilisation of the required resources, while committees were also set up to manage the fund and to ensure its transparency, respectively.

The meeting's participants were apprised that over Rs3.64 billion had been deposited in the fund, with a balance of Rs800 million currently available. The CS added that the rest of the funds were spent on establishing the isolation centres and procuring polymerase chain reaction testing kits, rapid testing kits, ventilators, personal protective equipment, oxygen cylinders, N-95 and surgical masks, thermal guns and sanitisers.

On March 25, the Sindh government decided to establish a quarantine facility at the Karachi Expo Centre to help ease pressure from the hospitals. From its starting date of April 6 until Monday, the isolation centre, which had a capacity of 1,100 beds, catered to only 1,154 patients in total. Of this number, two remain admitted. The centre's high-dependency unit, meanwhile, reported 10 Covid-19 deaths.

Apart from the Pakistan Army, experts from private health facilities, including Aga Khan University Hospital, Indus Hospital and different laboratories also volunteered to serve at the isolation centre. The treatment of patients was supervised by AKU's Dr Nuzhat Farooqi.

When the virus reared its head in Sindh, the government had surveyed all health facilities to gauge the province's medical capacity, keeping in view the rapid transmission of the disease.