ISLAMABAD: If the number of Covid-19 patients continues to increase at the current pace, our hospitals will find it extremely difficult to tackle the patient load and no amount of capacity-building in terms of provision of additional manpower and equipment to hospitals will be adequate to ease the burden.
PM’s Special Assistant on Health Dr. Faisal Sultan painted a bleak scenario Tuesday of the dire consequences that will result from not following necessary SOPs for containment of Covid-19.
Addressing the media outside Islamabad’s purpose-built infectious disease hospital in Chak Shahzad, he urged the general public to take the virus seriously by wearing masks, maintaining distance, practicing frequent handwashing, and avoiding crowded areas, lest the country’s doctors and health institutions are beset with a situation where they are seen as struggling under mounting pressure.
Dr. Faisal visited IHITC and the Federal General Hospital to obtain firsthand information about availability of medical facilities in relation to patient influx. “The third wave is intense. It is evident that there is immense pressure on the health system in Islamabad and several cities of Punjab and KP. I am here to appreciate the services being provided by our hospitals and medical staff, and to assess if they are in need of additional manpower or equipment. The situation is satisfactory; they are working with dedication and increasing their capacity,” he stated.
Dr. Faisal said Pakistan had procured more vaccines, a fact substantiated by Asad Umar who tweeted, “The first batch of Casino vaccine procured being received today. This is the vaccine in which Pakistan participated in phase 3 trials, which was the first time ever that Pakistan had done so for any vaccine.” In another tweet, he said, “Pakistan will be getting bulk vaccine by mid-April from Casino, from which 3 million vaccine doses can be made. The bulk vaccine received will be formulated, sterilized, and packed in Pakistan. For this purpose, special equipment has been procured and manpower is being trained.”
Meanwhile, the registration of people aged 50 years and above got underway on Tuesday. “Please get yourselves vaccinated when your turn is due. Register on 1166 and wait your turn,” Dr Faisal repeated.
In a related development, the Pakistan Young Pharmacists Association (PYPA) has written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, inviting his attention to the pricing of Sputnik V vaccine for Covid-19, which has been registered for import in Pakistan at Rs4,225 (US $30) per dose as against its international price of US $10 per dose.
Referring to the Transparency International-Pakistan’s (TIP) observations about the vaccine’s catastrophic price in Pakistan, the PYPA has called upon the PM to order a criminal investigation against the CEO of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan Asim Rauf, DRAP’s Director Registration Obaidullah, Secretary Health Aamir Ashraf Khawaja, SAPM Dr. Faisal Sultan, the Policy Board of DRAP, the management of Ali Gohar Pharmaceuticals, and all involved in the scam, and to recover the entire amount sent outside Pakistan by money laundering (transfer pricing) through banking channels via the UAE.
The PYPA has pointed out that the officials of DRAP are too vigilant and could not have committed such a huge blunder in haste or unknowingly. “There is mala fide intent, loot, plunder, money laundering, and corruption involved in all procedures and approvals for import of Sputnik V vaccine,” the letter informs the PM.
