Army chief orders dispatch of medical supplies to doctors, staff in Quetta

Director General ISPR Maj-Gen Babar Iftikhar said on Tuesday that emergency medical supplies have been dispatched for Quetta hospitals to ensure that health staff has safety equipment while treating the coronavirus patients.

The DG ISPR said the supplies including personal protective equipment and kits were sent to the provincial capital on the orders of Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The army chief in his statement lauded the doctors and health professionals across the country for their services against coronavirus.

Gen Bajwa said, “doctors & paramedics are the frontline soldiers in this war. Most advanced nations / govts are finding it extremely difficult to fight this pandemic”.

The announcement from the military command came a day after doctors’ protests in Quetta over unavailability of PPEs.

On Monday afternoon, police arrested 150 doctors in the city who held a protest demonstration.

Protesting doctors were baton-charged and arrested by police as they tried to protest in front of the Chief Minister House to demand PPE while treating coronavirus patients.

The police, in response, said that doctors had been arrested as they were found in violation of Section 144 which bans public gatherings.