Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the country will need more doctors if the coronavirus cases increase further in the future, lamenting that the doctor-to-patient ratio in Pakistan is quite low as compared to other countries.
He made the statement after the inauguration of the telehealth portal yesterday, which will help people with medical emergencies.
In his address, Khan said that more than 1mn people have registered for the Corona Relief Tiger Force.
The prime minister also urged health workers to register themselves with the volunteer force. “Even after the coronavirus pandemic passes, we will need this force to go to far-flung areas in Pakistan.”
The premier said that through technology, the government can disseminate information to the far-flung areas and deal with their issues.
Khan praised the telehealth initiative, saying that the health sector is facing huge challenges.
He reiterated that this year, the country will have to battle against the coronavirus.
“Until there is a vaccine, we will have to put up with this virus,” Khan cautioned.
He pointed out that even more developed countries, with greater resources, are having trouble coping.
“In this context, we are facing a bigger challenge as in past not adequate investments were made in Pakistan in the health sector,” Khan said.
However, the prime minister is of the view that the coronavirus situation is not so bad in Pakistan, compared with other countries.
He said it is important to register doctors, and especially lady doctors, to render their services through the health portal.
He said that with the Corona Relief Tiger Force, a large number of health professionals are also registered on voluntary basis to play their role.
The prime minister said the country’s doctor-to-people ratio could be improved through this initiative.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Digital Pakistan Tania Aidrus said that the federal government’s telehealth portal is available to people across Pakistan.
“The service is available to all the Pakistanis. I am proud to announce that Pakistan is the first nation that is providing such a service for free,” she said while presenting a briefing about the initiative to Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Adrus urged doctors to sign up for the service so that they could help the people.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said that the coronavirus has opened new ventures for healthcare, and telehealth is one of them.
“The use of this [telehealth] service during the pandemic has increased. Pakistanis who think they have symptoms of coronavirus can just pick up their phone and connect with the doctors,” he said.
“I urge all the female doctors who are unable to continue their practice to avail this service and help the people. Telehealth is here to stay and it will be able to help people even in far-flung areas,” Mirza said.
Meanwhile, 18 doctors of the orthopaedic ward at Lahore General Hospital were diagnosed with the coronavirus yesterday, after which the facility’s medical superintendent closed the ward for three days.
According to the management of the Lahore General Hospital, after the doctors tested positive for the virus, the head of the orthopaedic ward wrote a letter to the principal, stating that the remaining doctors of the ward have been quarantined.
General Hospital medical superintendent Mahmood Tariq noted that the ward was initially closed for three days and disinfected after the surge in cases among the hospital staff.
According to hospital sources, three doctors and two nurses of the Institute of Neuroscience have also tested positive for coronavirus.
According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, Pakistani doctors have emerged as the most-affected by coronavirus among their healthcare peers, including paramedics and nurses.
Prime Minister Khan: Even after the coronavirus pandemic passes, we will need (the Corona Relief Tiger Force) to go to far-flung areas in Pakistan.
