Jail inmates test negative for coronavirus

MULTAN: The Punjab Prisons Department authorities Thursday conducted blood screening of prisoners of four Multan jails and the prisoners tested negative for coronavirus.

Talking to reporters, Deputy Inspector General Jails Mohsin Rafique said blood screening of the inmates of Multan Central Jail, District Jail, Women Jail and Shujabad jail was conducted and it tested negative.

Some 2,835 prisoners are in all four jails. Mohsin Rafique said the SOPs have been issued for new prisoners and they will be screened at Nishtar Hospital Multan before entering the jails.

He said all police personnel serving at jails also tested negative for the virus.

‘No corona protective equipments for doctors’: Doctors at Nishtar Hospital have criticised unavailability of corona protective equipments for them. Speaking at a press conference, Pakistan Medical Association president Prof Dr Masudur Rauf Haraj said that the doctors were working under unsafe environment while one doctor had become a victim of coronavirus.

While paying tribute to the doctors, nurses and paramedics, he said that they were very much committed to performing their duties in such an unsafe environment.

He said that the World Health Organisation had issued guidelines for the activation of corona filter clinics at emergency wards, OPDs and labour rooms, but no filter clinic could be activated at the Nishtar Hospital.

He demanded the government provide personal protective equipments to the health personnel otherwise they would be unable to attend corona suspects.

Mepco completes 30 uplift projects of Rs 2.13b: The Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) has completed 30 uplift projects, including construction of three new grid stations and transmission lines, at a cost of over Rs 2.13 billion during the current fiscal year 2019/20. The development projects were initiated to provide power supply to consumers with better voltage and to meet the energy requirements in future.

According to Project Director Abdul Kareem Jamali, the capacity of existing grid stations was also being enhanced in 13 districts under the directions of CEO Mepco Tahir Mahmood.

The development projects included construction of 132KV Bahawalnagar-II grid Station at a cost of Rs 150 million, construction of 132KV Kassowal grid station at a cost of Rs 200 million and construction of 132KV Khichi Waal grid Station at a cost of Rs 124 million.