April, May critical as COVID-19 incidence can spike, says YCAP

Islamabad : Declaring the next two months critical, the Young Consultants Association Pakistan has warned that if necessary preventive measures against novel coronavirus are not taken without delay, then the virus incidence will spike.

"It is believed that Pakistan is few weeks behind the West meaning the coronavirus peak has yet to come. We can succeed only if we follow guidance given by China, West and World Health Organisation about lockdown and closure of hospital outpatient departments. It is believed that if appropriate measures are not taken, we will see a peak [in COVID-19 cases] in next few weeks, so April and May are critical for Pakistan," YCAP chairman Dr Asfandyar Khan told ‘The News.’

Dr Asfandyar, who is also the spokesman for the All Employees PIMS (Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences) Restoration Movement, said there was no specific treatment for coronavirus nor was the production of a vaccine against it in sight.

He said the only internationally accepted protocol to curtail the transmission of the virus was social distancing and lockdown and China had achieved targets by strictly following it.

“Pakistan took a very wise decision of lock down and this may be the reason for our less number of cases however, these are still early days. Rich countries are struggling to cope with this illness despite having large resources and facilities. Just imagine if we record as much virus cases as the West has, what we will become of us,” he said.

The YCAP chairman said Pakistani authorities should understand that the hospital OPDs were entirely different from those in the West, where patients showed up only after taking appointment.

“In the entire western world, health experts suggested the closure of OPDs to stem the spread of COVID-19 and their governments acted accordingly but unfortunately in Pakistan, decisions are being made or dictated by the people, who don’t comprehend the gravity of emergency situations, instead of experts,” he said.

Dr Asfandyar said in Pakistan, every patient was accompanied by four to five attendants and the number reached thousands in a closed space (OPD).

“Large OPD attendances give the virus a wonderful breeding ground. I’m worried if OPDs are opened at this point in time, hospitals may become a COVID-19 epicentre and thus, harming health professionals and visitors alike.

Even if personal protective equipment are given away to health professionals, what will become of patients and attendants? Currently, the accident and emergency departments are functioning pretty nicely providing the best possible care to patients,” he said.

The YCAP chairman said arrangements for consultation over the telephone could be made for chronic patients needing medicine adjustments.

He said the accident and emergency departments of all three PIMS components, including MCH, Children Hospital and IH, functioned round the clock to provide quality care to visitors irrespective of the nature and severity of illness and even patients with trivial symptoms were entertained.

“Patients needing inpatient care are admitted and given appropriate care at PIMS. Similarly, patients needing instant surgeries are operated upon without delay.”

“Now, the hospital is not only catering for patients from Islamabad and Rawalpindi but it is also accepting referrals from KP, AJK, GB and central Punjab. This is a fair indication that that citizens needing care are catered for without the running of the regular OPDs,” he said.