ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The National Assembly was told on Friday that 85 healthcare workers including doctors, nurses, and allied medical staff had lost their lives to Coronavirus in Pakistan till October 4, 2020.
In a written reply to a question by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) lawmaker Nafeesa Inayatullah Khan Khattak, the Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination told the House that the healthcare workers are on the frontline of treating patients infected with COVID-19.
The minister apprised that Pakistan’s healthcare providers’ community lost 85 of their colleagues till 08:00 pm on October 4 including doctors, nurses, and allied medical staff.
The House was told that till October 4, as many as 8,080 healthcare workers including 4,938 doctors, 916 nurses, and 2,226 other healthcare staff had contracted the disease.
Currently, 27 healthcare workers admitted in various hospitals are stable while 7,793 healthcare workers until now have recovered.
In addition, the minister apprised the House that the following steps are being taken by the government to protect the healthcare workers from this deadly infection:
- The government provides Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) to the healthcare staff including gloves, face masks, goggles, face shields, and gowns to prevent the spread of infection
- Recruitment of Critical Care Specialists to provide back-end support for the critical care workers being trained for COVID-19 (initial vetting already carried out) and development of standard operating procedures (SOPs), guidelines, and training of health care workers on vents and Infection Prevention and Control.
- In an acknowledgment of the dire risks healthcare workers incur every day, the government announced a comprehensive support package for these medical professionals.
Among its features is a Shuhada package from Rs 3 million to Rs 10 million for the families of those in the medical profession sacrificing their lives in the line of duty.
- The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) approved Rs 480.556 million to pay risk allowance to all healthcare workers performing duties related to COVID-19.
