COVID-19: PMA asks Shahbaz Gill to take back statement against doctors' community

The Pakistan Medical Association on Friday requested former Punjab information minister Shahbaz Gill to take back his statement against the doctors' community, accusing them of doing politics. 

"We very honestly gave our professional opinion and requested the government and ulema to review their decision of holding Namaz- e- Jumah and Namaz-e-Traveh in mosques," read the press release from the PMA.

The association said that leading doctors in Karachi had requested the government and ulema to review their decision to hold Taraweeh prayers in mosques to help contain the pandemic.

"Being Medical Professionals it is our duty to inform the nation by portraying real picture of the situation. We also requested all the stakeholders and the general public to stay at home to avoid Coronavirus," stated the press release.

Describing Gill's statement as a "serious issue", the PMA said that the former Punjab information minister had stated that the press conference was held only in Karachi when contrary to it, the PMA Lahore had also issued a similar warning to the government.

The association requested Gill to take back his statement as it had injured the sentiments of the doctors' community.

"PMA requests Mr. Shahbaz Gill to take back his statement because he hurt the doctors' community at a time when they are fighting against coronavirus as frontline soldiers," concluded the statement.

Shahbaz Gill accuses doctors of doing politics

On Thursday, Gill had claimed that PMA doctors had held their press conference at the behest of the PPP, the ruling party in Sindh.

He had said that the recent decisions regarding the nationwide coronavirus strategy, which were criticised by doctors, were taken during a session of the National Command and Operations Centre where representatives of the doctors’ fraternity had also been present.

“It is unfortunate that after the Sindh government got tired of doing politics over the coronavirus issue, it pushed doctors from Sindh forward,” he said on Twitter.

In the same tweet, the former Punjab spokesperson had requested the ‘few doctors’ from Punjab to not ‘politicise’ the issue.

Doctors describe ground realities, warn of repercussions

On Wednesday, a group of Karachi's leading doctors, belonging to the Pakistan Medical Association, had described on-the-ground realities faced by frontline workers in the fight against the coronavirus.

One of the PMA members, Dr Saeed Niaz, had said that there was an impression that the coronavirus is not as serious an issue in our country as in other countries. "The reason for [lower than expected numbers] is our testing capacity, which is an issue that will remain," he said.

"If we hadn't placed the country under a lockdown, then the situation would have been different. Similarly, if we don't act now, two weeks down the line, the situation will be very different."

"The [isolation] wards are all already 80% saturated. And in Pakistan's case, there are more patients who are under 60 years of age," he had warned.