Another doctor succumbs to novel coronavirus in K-P

PDA demands PPEs for all doctors, closure of OPDs

PESHAWAR:

The toll the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is having on medics in the province refuses to subside after another medical practitioner succumbed to the pandemic virus on Saturday.

This has raised the total number of doctors who have died from the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) to 38 while some 58 medical staff have perished so far.

On Saturday Dr Mohsin breathed his last at the Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) in Peshawar.

Dr Mohsin had been working at the City Hospital on Kohat Road in Peshawar as an anesthesiologist. He hailed from Parachinar in the merged tribal district of Kurram.

Following his death, doctors in the province called upon the government to take emergency measures to ensure that the lives of these frontline workers are protected.

Dr Saleem, the information secretary of the Provincial Doctors Association (PDA), told The Express Tribune on Saturday that the situation was becoming critical. He demanded that the provincial government provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to all doctors, paramedics and nurses as well as Covid-19 ward attendants who are serving in hospitals of the province to protect them.

At the moment, Dr Saleem claimed, PPE is only being provided to those doctors who are serving in the main Covid-19 wards, while doctors serving in the remaining hospitals are not provided with any protective gear.

“We also demand the closure of the Outpatient Departments (OPDs) in all hospitals as it is putting the lives of senior doctors as well as other staff and even patients at risk,” he said, adding that the provincial government is not paying any heed to the genuine concerns of doctors - who are playing a crucial role in the fight against the pandemic disease - which was unfortunate.

The PDA official further urged the government to ensure the strict enforcement of prescribed standard operating procedures (SOPs) at all hospitals in the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2020.