People urged to follow SOPs against virus

Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Principal Dr Sardar Muhammad Alfareed Zafar has stressed that there was a need to take maximum precautions keeping in view past experiences and learning from the Covid-19 situation facing other countries. “The data of World Health Organisation (WHO) on the coronavirus pandemic was an eye opener for all of us.”

He added that we must be prepared collectively and individually to perform our duties in this regard. Regarding young doctors, he said that there could be research on various aspects of the situation before and after Covid-19 and we should participate more in this research. Speaking to the media, he further said on Covid-19 that there was no doubt that due to the strategy of Prime Minister Imran Khan and his team, Pakistan outperformed 209 countries. “In the region, the coronavirus disease was fought in the best possible way by giving new term of soft lockdown which was introduced to keep the economy afloat along with precautionary measures.

He said it was satisfactory that even in the face of neighbouring India the death toll from coronavirus in Pakistan was very low. He added that doctors, nurses and paramedical staff faced a very different and unexpected situation in which patients as well as their own lives were in great danger and they had to sacrifice their lives as well.

Speaking about the technical conditions of coronavirus, the principal emphasised that so far children and women had been relatively less affected by this pandemic while older people and especially patients with high blood pressure and diabetes were at higher risk.

He said that we have to take this situation seriously and formulate our strategy by reviewing the published reports of international organisations including WHO.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 31^st, 2020.