PHCA demands prohibition of older government staff

KARACHI: President, Private Hospitals and Clinics Association (PHCA), Dr Syed Junaid Ali Shah, demanded all government staff above 50 years of age as well as those with co-morbidities, working in public areas to be prohibited from attending work.

Recently Airport Manager, Imran Khan, contracted the virus, which he spread to his wife and son at home. Khan is currently in critical condition battling for his life.

“We demand that a team of epidemiologists and statisticians urgently start working on projections so restrictions may be imposed according to the area,” said President PHCA.

“Furthermore, we demand guidance in the form of set protocols of treatment issued by the federal government. If the current leadership of federal healthcare is not capable of drafting this, he may be replaced with a sensible person who harbors a proper understanding of this pandemic,” said the PHCA.

We demand a more efficient way to manage this lockdown so people may be kept indoors and provided with essential items instead of the herding caused by random ration distributions.

The word PAN from pandemic should be used to gain essential knowledge from countries that are reaching the peak phase of the disease. Many research papers suggest that this pandemic will last till September 2020, and the only way to keep mortality is by handling it properly.

We demand strict notice on announcing random treatments before trials without clinical-based evidence. This is only leading to people taking dangerous drugs prophylactically at home, such as hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin.

Problems associated with the lockdown will, of course, have to be put into the equation—notably, the effects on the GDP and the economy as a whole.

The unreliability of protective equipment making rounds in the healthcare sector is directly causing an increase in the numbers of cases and deadly reinfections, especially amongst the exposed staff.

The lack of set protocols to deal with the pandemic is propagating further confusion. Ideally, a centrally controlled model should be introduced for all to follow. Projections need to be area-specific as countries are behaving differently to the virus.

“We must, in no way, take our eyes off opportunists that may exploit the current situation, such as hackers working on larger scales, which could have drastic consequences if important sectors are breached. Along with this, it is of utmost importance to identify and discourage the use of counterfeit safety, and testing kits that are being found increasingly in the markets in our region,” concluded the PHCA.

-MN Report