Call to provide protective equipment to medical staff

TIMERGARA: Residents of Lower Dir have demanded the KP CM and health minister to immediately provide personal protective equipment to doctors and paramedical staff dealing with suspected patients of COVID-19 in various hospitals and quarantine centres of the district at the risk of their own lives. Talking to The News, Jehan Alam Yousafzai, coordinator for rights body, DQP, social activists Akbar Khan Lala, Umar Zada, Ibrash Pasha, Khan Badshah and others said it was the prime responsibility of the elected members from the district to ensure availability of ventilators and COVID-19 testing kits at the health facilities. They said besides personal protective equipment for doctors and paramedical staff should be ensured as they were at the frontline against COVID-19 fight. The coordination council of doctors and paramedical staff at DHQ Timergara threatened recently to boycott duties in case the government failed to provide equipment to the staff. They had asked elected representatives from Lower Dir to come forward in this hour of trial. The Health workers had said the formation of Corona Coordination Council comprising parliamentarians, bureaucrats and members from civil society was the need of the hour. Meanwhile, Dr Sumaira Shams, Chairperson, Standing Committee on Health of the KP Assembly, said she would take up with the health minister the issue of missing facilities at the DHQ Timergara and other health units in Lower and Upper Dir districts.