Health dept seeks reimbursement of money deducted from healthcare providers’ salaries

Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho said on Friday the health department was forwarding a summary to the finance department for the “reimbursement of 10 per cent deduction” from the salaries of doctors, paramedics and nurses in the name of a coronavirus fund and not to make any such cuts in the future, as they were frontline workers against the pandemic and risking their lives to save others.

“Although all Sindh government officials have donated 10 per cent of their salaries for the coronavirus fund, while we the parliamentarians have donated our 100 per cent salaries for the fund, but the deduction from the remuneration of doctors and healthcare providers would be reimbursed,” she said while talking to The News.

Healthcare providers, including doctors, paramedics and nurses, had strongly reacted to 10 per cent deduction from their salaries. They argued that in other provinces not only bonuses and health risk allowances were being paid but other monetary benefits were also being offered to the healthcare providers, but in Sindh, they were being deprived of a considerable amount of their salaries, which would result in demoralisation.

The health minister said the summary prepared by them would not only seek the reimbursement of the 10 per cent amount deducted but also the payment of a health risk allowance to those who were serving at emergencies, isolation centres and intensive care units of hospitals and risking their lives for the well-being of patients.

“But the health risk allowance can only be paid to those healthcare providers who are on emergency duties and directly dealing with the coronavirus patients, including doctors and other staff, at emergency departments, isolation centres and the critical care units of the public hospitals as well as those working in the labs where these samples are being tested and analysed,” she clarified.

Conceding that healthcare providers were also contracting coronavirus in Pakistan like elsewhere in the world due to a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), she said that if any healthcare provider falls fighting the coronavirus, paying some monetary compensation to their family could be considered by the government, but a decision in this regard would be taken when this pandemic was over and the situation returned to normalcy.

Private health sector

Dr Azra Pechuho maintained that the government and the health department were trying to seek the support of the private health sector for the treatment of those coronavirus patients who needed critical care and life support as the few public and private hospitals cooperating with the authorities had a limited number of critical care beds available for such patients.

“At the moment, patients in serious condition are being treated at public and private hospitals, including the JPMC, Civil Hospital Karachi, Dow’s Ojha Hospital, Indus Hospital, Aga Khan Hospital, while we are also in the process of establishing more isolation centres at other public health facilities in the city. But in case the number of patients grow, we would need support of the private sector as they have fully equipped intensive care units as well as trained staff,” she added.

The health minister maintained that field isolation centre established at the Expo Centre was only for those coronavirus patients who either had no or mild symptoms, but these people needed isolation and due to poverty, they could not be isolated at their smaller homes. “But those who have mild to severe symptoms would require intensive care and that is why we are seeking the support of the private health sector.”

Shortage of testing kits

Acknowledging that Sindh was facing an acute shortage of testing kits, she said that due to limited number of kits, not a large number of people were being tested at the moment, but they were in the process of acquiring testing kits from abroad, which would take one to three more weeks.

“A few testing kits will arrive here within a week, while more testing kits will be available to us by the end of April and the start of May this year. We are in the process of acquiring testing kits, but there is a global shortage and, in this regard, we need the federal government’s support.”

Urging the federal government to support the provinces in acquiring testing kits and other material from abroad, she deplored that testing kits provided by the centre were not complete as they lacked viral transport media (VTM), swabs and other required items.

She added that Pakistani embassies and high commissions in different countries of the world should use their contacts and influence to speed up the purchase of testing kits, ventilators and other medical equipment for the country.

“The federal government can use its influence and also help us in the transportation of required material to the country. It is a national cause and needs close cooperation between the federal and provincial governments.”