KARACHI: As the country battles a dangerous third wave of the coronavirus, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah announced that his government would “intervene” to operationalise the oxygen plants installed at the Pakistan Steel Mill at the cost of Rs1 billion.
“We are passing through a very serious situation; therefore, we have to be prepared to face any emergency,” said CM Murad while speaking to leading doctors at the CM House on Tuesday.
The CM told the health officials that the new wave of has badly affected major cities of Pakistan.
“We are also facing its severity and trying to take measures to control the situation,” said Murad. The CM had met the doctors to review the coronavirus situation and implement the recommendations to contain the pandemic.
During the meeting, the doctors appealed to the CM to make necessary arrangements for the production of oxygen.
“When timely oxygen is given to a patient, his chances to go to a ventilator is reduced,” said Dr Qaiser Sajjad and urged the provincial government to take necessary measures to operationalise oxygen plants of Pakistan Steel Mills.
The chief minister said that a team of the federal government had visited the Pakistan Steel Mill plant and reported that it could not be revived.
“We held a meeting with the people of Pakistan Steel Mills and they told us that it could be revived within three months at a cost of Rs1 billion,” said the CM and assured the doctors that he would send his expert team to visit the plant see if it was worth reviving.
The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Dr Azra Pechuho, Nasir Shah, provincial government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, VC Dow Dr Saeed Qureshi, Dr Bari, Dr Faisal, Dr Shehla Baqi, Jinnah Hospital Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali, Dr Nusrat Shah, Dr Raqiq Khokhar, Dr Qaiser Sajjad, Dr Ghaffar Shoro, Dr Sharif Hashmi, Dr Qazi Wasiq, Dr Anoop, Dr Faisal Mahmood, Dr Sabir Memon, Dr Abdul Bari and others.