ISLAMABAD: The hospitals in the federal capital and its twin city, Rawalpindi, are refusing to admit new Covid-19 patients in isolation wards after they reached capacity owing to a drastic spike in Covid-19 cases over the Eid break.
According to the official figures shared by National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), registered cases of the infection in the country were 64,028 by Friday morning, out of which 2,636 people have been recovered while 40,406 are in isolation. Out of 40,406 patients, 496 patients are critical.
There are 726 hospitals across the country to treat coronavirus patients while 4,615 patients are under treatment.
Medics dealing with coronavirus outbreak said that the cases drastically increased after the lockdown was relaxed and added that the healthcare system would crash if such an increased continued.
“For instance, we have 46 ventilators in the federal capital hospitals and all have reached their capacity. We have 36 vents in PIMS out of which five are dedicated to coronavirus, whereas the total number of virus patients is 32. Same is the case with other hospitals in the federal capital and Rawalpindi,” said an official dealing with the pandemic cases.
He said that there was not a single bed available in isolation wards, dedicated solely to the residents, in the federal capital. “We only admit those patients who are residents of the federal capital, but still we have run out of beds,” said the official.
Another issue is the shortage of ventilators in the country, he said, adding it is not about just buying the machines, the government also has to train the medics to use it.
“The purchase is not a big deal, the main issue is capacity building of our doctors and paramedics to handle the exact quantity of oxygen flow to the patients.”
Asked to comment on the number of infections in the country, the official said that the number of infections may far greater than the reported infections as most of the people are not going for tests. “The actual infected patients may be far greater as only those are taking tests who have shown symptoms.”
When contacted, Dr Mumtaz Ali Khan, National Focal Person for Infection Prevention & Control Program, confirmed that there was an unprecedented hike in infections during Eidul Fitr break. He said it was also true that the government doesn’t have beds for new coronavirus patients in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
He also agreed about the shortage of experts to operate ventilators and added that the government was training medics to handle the life-saving machines.
Asked whether another lockdown is likely in the country, Dr Mumtaz said that it would be a collective decision.
Col Shafique Awan, the spokesperson of NCOC, said in spite of the increase in Covid-19, the government is not thinking about reimposing the lockdown. “Nothing is on cards,” he responded when asked if the federal government was planning to put in place another lockdown in a few days.
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