Concerns raised over rising COVID-19 infections among doctors

Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

As the rate of COVID-19 infection among the healthcare workers is on the rise, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has again expressed its concern over the life and health of doctors, nurses and paramedics working as frontline care providers in the case of coronavirus positive patients across the country. 

According to a report compiled at the national level, there are 1,359 doctors, nurses and health staff having contracted the COVID-19 disease across the country, which constituted three per cent of the national COVID-19 case count. 

As many as 67 new infections were confirmed among the healthcare providers during the last 24 hours, the report added on May 20. 

The PMA, in a statement issued by its Secretary General, Dr S M Qaiser Sajjad, highlighted that the healthcare providers concerned were working very hard at quarantine centres, isolations centres and high dependency units and at intensive care units to treat the coronavirus patients. 

“They are serving with dedication in hospital wards, emergencies and OPDs at both public and private sector hospitals.” 

While already faced with the threat of the lethal infections, people are attacking and destroying health facilities and threatening the healthcare workers, an unfortunate situation which may discourage and depress the healthcare workers, the doctors’ body added. 

“The situation will be very unfortunate if healthcare workers do not come to the hospitals due to such incidents and due to their stay in isolation due to coronavirus.” 

Dr Qaiser Sajjad urged the government to protect the healthcare workers from coronavirus by providing personal protecting equipments (PPEs) on regular basis. 

The healthcare workers must also be protected from violent mobs at hospitals and be provided with peaceful environment at their work places, he added while demanding reduction in the duty hours of the doctors to six hours only and provision of two-week leave for quarantining after one week of duty. 

In the meantime, the government should facilitate more and more people for coronavirus test and also provide all the required facilities to the patients at quarantine and isolation centres, the PMA statement stressed.

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Seema Javed

Seema Javed, a prominent club cricketer, alleged that Alam, 70, once came to her and asked her to convince another girl to give him favours. The PCB set up an inquiry to look into the allegations, which ruled that the five players should be banned for six months and censured Multan cricket officials. “The inquiry committee set up to investigate the allegations of sexual harassment by five women cricketers against the management of Multan Cricket Club has recommended that all five should be banned from playing any form of cricket for six months with effect from October 23, 2013,” said a PCB spokesman. According to the spokesman: “when questioned by the committee three of the five women, including Seema, categorically denied having been sexually harassed or having seen such harassment taking place”, while the other two women declined to present their case at the inquiry. All three who were questioned were serving one penalty or ban for various offences and that was the focus of their complaint.” 

Ayesha Ashaar, the convenor
of the probe committee and manager
 of Pakistan women’s cricket

The Multan District Cricket Association, which overseas cricket in the region, has also been censured and asked to keep a close watch on Multan Cricket Club and ensure that all clubs registered with them follow the regulations and disciplinary procedures of PCB. Ayesha Ashaar, the convenor of the probe committee and manager of Pakistan women’s cricket, said that even after they have served the ban, “all five girls will be kept under probation for a period of one year after which the evaluation of their conduct will be made”. Pakistan women cricketers have done well on the international level during previous few years but young girls still suffer hardships to be allowed to play in the deeply conservative Muslim nation. The national women cricket is governed by the PCB, which looks after all affairs relating to the game and players in the country.