Another doctor succumbs to coronavirus in Karachi

KARACHI: Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Secretary General, Dr Qaiser Sajjad has confirmed that another doctor passed away on Sunday due to the COVID-19 in Karachi.

The PMA Secretary General said Dr Furqanul Haq had tested positive for the COVID-19 around four days ago and had self-isolated at home.

“He started having difficulty in breathing from Saturday,” Sajjad said, adding that the wife of the deceased had also tested positive. Dr Haq tried to get himself admitted to any of the isolation wards but was unable to receive medical treatment, he added.

According to Dr Sajjad, the deceased needed to be put on a ventilator however, could not find the facility despite visiting several hospitals in the city.

On the other hand, Media Coordinator to the Health and Population Welfare Minister Meeran Yousuf said: “Ventilators and beds were available at Civil Hospital Karachi and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center. We’ve, however, initiated an inquiry into the matter.”

Dr Furqanul Haq who had recently retired from the Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases is the third doctor in Karachi to have fallen victim to the COVID-19.

Earlier, Dr Abdul Qadir Soomro and gynecologist, Dr Zubaida Sattar had passed away  after contracting the COVID-19 in the metropolis.

Doctors have repeatedly warned the government that the country’s healthcare system will collapse if a severe lockdown is not imposed to limit the spread of the COVID-19.

Doctors throughout the country have complained that the medical community was not being given with personal protective gear, making them vulnerable to the COVID-19.