KMC to provide place for establishing memorial to healthcare workers martyred in pandemic

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has agreed to provide a “prominent place” in Karachi for establishing a memorial to martyred healthcare workers who have laid down their lives during the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan, renowned gastroenterologist and hepatologist Dr Saad Khalid Niaz said on Saturday.

“I along with some of my colleagues in the medical professional have decided to build a memorial in Karachi for healthcare workers and professionals who embraced martyrdom while serving Covid-19 patients during the pandemic. The KMC has assured us of providing a prominent place in the city for the memorial,” he told The News.

He further announced the establishment of a fund to help the families of healthcare workers who had lost their lives due to Covid-19. He added that a documentary of international standards would also be made to highlight the services, dedication and sacrifices of the fallen doctors, nurses, paramedics and other support staff.

The gastroenterologist, who has returned his civil award ‘Tamgha-e-Imtiaz’ back to the government of Pakistan for its failure to honour the services and dedication of healthcare workers and professionals who served and died during the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, said fallen healthcare professionals were also “Shaheed” and needed recognition like soldiers.

“The memorial we have planned to establish in Karachi would be a piece of art and contain the names of all those doctors, paramedics, nurses, medical students and other medical staff who served during the pandemic and died while serving the patients,” he announced, adding that the place to establish the memorial would be suggested and provided within a few days by the KMC.

Students of the Indus Valley School of Arts would be asked to compete for the design of the memorial, Dr Niaz said, adding that the memorial would be designed in such a way that it could contain the names of over 200 martyred healthcare workers with the possibility to add more names in the future.

Fund to be set up

Deploring that no financial compensation was paid to the families of the martyred healthcare professionals and workers in the country by the authorities, Dr Niaz said he and his colleagues had also decided to establish a fund to support the families who lost their bread and butter earners during the pandemic in Pakistan.

“Pakistani healthcare professionals in the country and abroad are very much excited and want to help the families of their colleagues who have lost their lives during the pandemic. We will raise funds for all those families which are in trouble after they lost their sole bread and butter earners due to Covid-19,” he said.

To a query, he said funds would mainly be generated from the private sector, including doctors and healthcare professionals, in the country and abroad, but anybody would be welcomed to come forward and chip in to support the families of the martyred healthcare professionals.

He declared that a documentary would also be made to highlight the role of doctors, paramedics, nurses and other support staff during the pandemic, saying that at a time when people were even afraid to meet their close relatives due to fear of the viral infection, these healthcare professionals treated the patients even without having proper personal protective equipment.

“We are going to document the services and dedication of healthcare professionals who spent weeks and months away from their family members during the pandemic and died while serving the patients.”