Real media

Every other day there is a video circulating on social media about doctors appealing to people that hospitals are full and they should practice social distancing. The federal government also issues regular statements saying only 40 percent of the ventilators are in use and all is well in the land of the pure. Then there are requests from doctors for PPE. And yet again we hear that the government has sent PPEs to hospitals in sufficient numbers.

Social media is full of tirades and counter-statements. It is time for the real media to stand up. TV and newspapers should make a consortium and send their media teams to hospitals on a daily basis. They should collect the data and report the status of each hospital. Number of Covid beds available. Number of ventilators available. Status of PPE. Just like the Covid numbers that are published daily, we can have a 9pm update every evening on TV and newspaper sites about the day’s hospital status report. People need a credible source. More importantly, healthcare providers and patients need to know which hospital to go to in case someone tests positive. Social media is not the answer. TV channels and newspapers should step forward.

Irfan Ahmad

Karachi