Protective kits: Protesting doctors, medical staff arrested in Quetta

QUETTA: Police arrested doctors and medical staff in Quetta on Monday for protesting over non-provision of personal protective equipment for treating coronavirus patients, Geo News reported.

According to President Young Doctors Association Dr Yasir Khan, more than 150 doctors and paramedics had been arrested. The doctors and medical staff wanted to protest outside the Chief Minister House when the police baton-charged them.

Addressing a press conference, Dr Khan announced boycotting services to the patients. “This government wants us to work but does not provide us anything for protection against the virus,” he said.

Scuffles also broke out between the police and medical staff during the protest. Following the arrests, the young doctors suspended their work in protest.

Police said the medical staff were arrested for violating Section 144 and they had been lodged in different police stations. The incident came in the backdrop of more than a dozen doctors reportedly contracting the virus while discharging their duties.

Meanwhile, Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said the government had provided medical kits to the medical staff, and only goggles were missing which were substituted with face shields.

He said the required items came from China in limited quantity, adding whatever new supplies were received, these will be distributed among the doctors and the staff.

He claimed that more than 50,000 N-95 masks from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had so far been distributed among the staff.