Five corona suspected doctors admitted to hospital

MULTAN: Five corona suspected doctors were admitted to the Nishtar Hospital isolation ward for conducting their blood screening and tests.

Talking to The News here, PMA president Prof Dr Masoodur Rauf Haraj said claimed that the suspected doctors had attended a virus infected patient at the Nishtar Hospital emergency without PPEs on March 24. The patient, Muhammad Amir, had come from Dera Ismail Khan, and corona infection was confirmed after his death, he told. Two suspected doctors belonged to Dera Ghazi Khan and three to Multan, he informed. He criticised Nishtar Health University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mustafa Kamal Pasha for allegedly dealing the whole situation non-seriously.

The present state of disorder was developing due incompetence of the vice chancellor, he alleged. The World Health Organisation had asked Pakistan to activate all filter clinics at hospital’s emergencies, he told. The activation of filter clinics at the Nishtar Hospital was due but the vice chancellor did not take up the matter seriously, he claimed. The PMA had also rejected the Punjab government advertisement seeking applications from doctors for the recruitment of doctors on ad hoc basis, he disclosed. PMA president Prof Dr Masoodur Rauf Haraj said that the recruitment of doctors could not be acceptable on ad hoc basis against permanent posts.He claimed that the stock of corona testing tool kits had finished at the Nishtar Hospital. He also criticised the Punjab government for asking the doctors to attend corona suspects without wearing Personal Protective Equipment. He told that Multan district chief executive health Dr Munawar Abbas and the Nishtar Hospital administration had repeatedly sent reminders for the provision of PPEs but no equipment could be provided to the doctors.

When contacted, NHU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mustafa Kamal Pasha said that the PPEs had arrived and kits would be distributed among the doctors soon. He said that he was improving the situation. When the vice chancellor was asked about the lack of issuance of corona SOPs, he said that the SOPs would be issued soon.

Meanwhile, DC Amir Khattak has imposed Section 144 and ordered to close all food, bakery, chicken, meat, fish shops, departmental stores, restaurants and other shops at 8pm from 8am. However, medical stores, hospitals and fuel pumps would be exempted from the new schedule.