Two doctors testing positive for the coronavirus in Pakistan points out the magnitude of the situation that the we are all collectively dealing with. Doctors are at great risk of contracting the virus throughout Pakistan, especially due to long hours of duty during this pandemic. There are videos and pictures also surfacing from several areas across Pakistan where doctors have resorted to using plastic bags to cover themselves in order to treat patients, sometimes as a mute protest against the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
At times like these where each action is very important, it is absolutely necessary to make the efforts against the coronavirus more rigorous. All relief efforts must be increased along with ensuring that the required equipment reaches these people on time. The government is trying to make better decisions as the situation develops, because after the aforementioned cases were reported by the National Institute of Health (NIH), the emergency and isolation ward capacity is being increased in several hospitals to deal with the crisis. In order to help reduce the burden on the doctors as well, the Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) also launched a telemedicine project named “PIMA Healthline” to provide health and medical consultation to people at their homes. The helpline is already active and has reported hundreds of calls from people who cannot go out at this time.
The lockdown must be implemented effectively along with regular reminders to the masses to stay indoors and take care of themselves and others around them. The development of the virus in the country will be very crucial over the next two weeks. In order to avoid infection and clamp down the number of cases in the country, it is crucial that we all play our part to help doctors fight this virus until it does not plague Pakistan any longer.