Nurses demand strict lockdown to reduce COVID-19 burden on healthcare system

Following male doctors and female physicians, nurses from various public and private health facilities in Karachi called upon the authorities on Monday not to give any relaxation in the lockdown, warning that if the lockdown was eased, COVID-19 cases would rise alarmingly and the city’s already fragile health system would be unable to manage the burden.

This demand was made by nurses’ representatives Uroosa Lakhani, Khair-un-Nisa Khan, Shehla Naeem, Muhammad Ramzan and Rozina Karamliani at a news conference held at the Karachi Press Club.

The nurses' representatives said the provincial administration had taken the right decisions for the welfare of the people, but it was also the responsibility of the people to behave sensibly, avoid going to bazaars and superstores. They added that "this is a warlike situation where the enemy is unseen and hunting down people in the open and crowded areas".

The nurses deplored that a large number of healthcare workers were getting affected with COVID-19 in the country, and daily several doctors, nurses and paramedics were getting affected by the coronavirus. They warned that if healthcare providers continued to get infected with the viral ailment, nobody would be left in the country to take care of the patients.

Dr Rozina from the Aga Khan University Hospital urged the people to follow the instructions regarding social distancing, saying that there was no vaccine or cure available for this disease, and until and unless a vaccine for the prevention and treatment available was made available, people should remain isolated and follow the rules of social distancing.

Another representative, Khair-un-Nisa, said nurses and doctors were at the forefront in this war against an unseen microorganism, which was not discriminating between anybody. She added that healthcare providers were daily contracting this disease and being put in isolation, and their number was falling in the health facilities as a result.

“Pakistan is already facing a shortage of nurses, and due to COVID-19 several nurses are daily getting affected with COVID-19 in the country along with other healthcare providers. Nurses are also human beings and they feel that people should listen to the advice of health professionals so that not only they but their loved ones as well could remain safe," she added. Senior nurse Uroosa Lakhani claimed that as many as 31 healthcare providers had died due to COVID-19, while the emergency departments of two private and one public hospitals had been closed due to the coronavirus. She also pointed out an acute shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in the country, including Karachi.

“Nurses and other healthcare providers are working in extremely poor conditions where many don’t have complete personal protective equipment, while a few items provided by the authorities are not of international standard. In these circumstances, we urge the people to take precautionary measures on their own," she added.

Male nurse Muhammad Rizwan demanded of the authorities to provide a health risk allowance and another salary as bonus to the nurses and midwives in the province. He said that due to carelessness on the part of the people, not only elderly people but also many healthcare providers were getting infected with COVID-19 in the province.