Shortage of PPEs in Pakistan; A health risk for Doctors and other health care professionals during the COVID-19
subject: covid-19, Pakistan, PPEs
description: On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease, more commonly known as COVID-19, a pandemic due to the number of individuals and countries affected including their socioeconomic status along with mortality rate. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and other funding agencies working to minimize the spread of COVID-19; as a result, many changes in our daily lives are being suggested.1 They continuously monitored the outbreak of COVID-19 and also issued the guidelines for both health care professionals and consumers. Allowing medical care includes telehealth coverage, nutritious, and wholesome food as per the COVID-19 response during this state of a public health emergency. During the outbreak of COVID-19, the pharmacies and wholesale market are facing a shortage of personal protective equipments (PPEs) due to besotted usage by doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, and the common public to protect themselves from the contagious and infectious diseases. Regarding the concern of health safety for medical health professionals are very cautious in regard with fighting against the COVID-19 and demanding for PPEs that is much legal, logical and necessary as per the guidelines of WHO.2 Three doctors have died during the treatment of coronavirus affected patients and >75 doctors are affected from the disease.3 After this act doctors protest in the Southwestern Pakistan City of Quetta for demanding of PPEs including protective kits for health care professionals for coronavirus medical gear; among them, 67 doctors were arrested as said by the union representative of Young Doctor Association (YDA).4 As per 13 April, 2020 more than 5374 are Covid-19 patients and 93 deaths are faced due to shortage of PPEs; as Secretary-General Pakistan Medical Association Qaiser Sajjad, explained in a press conference on April 5th that “Doctors are Frontline soldiers in the fight against the Corona and we need more and more doctors are ready to provide their s…
creator: Muhammad Shahzad Manzoor
source: Journal of Rawalpindi Medical College
publisher: Rawalpindi Medical University
date: 2020
coverage: Medicine