KARACHI             -               Private Hospitals & Clinics Association (PHCA) has refused to give more space to Sindh Government for coronavirus patients in private sector health facilities but agreed to provide consultants in special fields.

This was decided in the meeting of PHCC held at Sindh Health Minister Office here in Karachi. The preventatives of PHCC including Dr Salman Faridi of Liaquat National Hospital, Dr. Asim Hussain of Dr. Ziauddin Hospial, Dr Abdul Bari of Indus Hospital, Dr Zerkais Ankelsaria, Dr Sadia Rizvi of South City Hosptal and Dr. Aijaz Ahmed Khanzada Chief Technical Advisor for Secretary Health.

The meeting started with the vote of thanks to the chair for taking the private sector also in confidence for the treatment of corona patients. The members strongly objected for not notifying Dr Junaid Ali Shah, President, Private Hospital Clinics Association to which the minister kindly agreed and give direction to notify.

It was decided that a control and command center will be made by the Sindh Government under the focal person of corona, Dr. Bari and the private hospital will provide consultants in special fields and be available to this control and command center. “We will meet regularly and he will update us on the corona situation with statistics,” he added. The private sector appreciated the efforts of the Government of Sindh in difficult time and supported the idea of lockdown. It has suggested that there are already 1,000 beds available where there are corona patients and the hospital are partially affected namely Agha Khan Hospital, Indus Hospital and Dow International and the government has provided huge financial support to these institutions.

It was suggested that all hospitals should not be infected and left for healthy patients

who also needed urgent care and majority of them were elderly which was infecting all hospital

and once those 2200 beds including Indus Hospital, Dow International, AKU and field

isolation center were full govt would give a list of hospitals at priority to be made

corona hospitals and the hospitals would be provided with the necessary safety equipment and medicines by the Sindh Government.

The private sector assures that they will provide both equipment and man power support as needed once the Sindh Government faces shortage of beds.

The Health Minister Sindh has assured us of the fullest cooperation and they stand with

Government of Sindh in its strategies and endevours. It was decided that a portal in the Health Department of Sindh will be created by the focal person Dr. Bari and a complete handbook of Covid 19 Prevention & Treatment of the Sindh Government will be posted in three parts including prevention and control management, diagnosis & treatment and nursing & consulting services Further it is recommended that vacant units of Health department like the 500 bed NIPA hospital should be utilized for this crisis.