KARACHI: Owing to the possible shortage of oxygen in hospitals that might ensue if the situation persists, the PPP-led Sindh government has banned elective surgeries in all public and private hospitals.
Taking to Twitter, Sindh Government Spokesperson Murtaza Wahab announced that the decision has been taken as a precaution. “Sindh government has decided to impose a complete ban on elective surgeries in public as well as private hospitals,” he wrote.
In order to address the possibility of oxygen shortage due to rise in #COVID19 cases, #SindhGovt has decided to impose a complete ban on Elective Surgeries in public as well as private hospitals. It is clarified that surgeries in emergency cases will continue #SaveOxygen
— Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui (@murtazawahab1) April 26, 2021
However, the spokesperson said surgeries in emergency cases will continue. A day earlier, Sindh government ordered the closure of all schools, colleges and universities amid the COVID-19 surge.
The government also announced that all public offices will operate with an essential staff of 20% only. The decision by the provincial government came after 70 more people succumbed to coronavirus in Pakistan.
The new deaths took the nationwide COVID-19 death toll to 17,187, while over 4,800 new infections have been reported across the country, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data showed.
The positivity rate of coronavirus in Pakistan stands at 9.61% as of today (Monday) whereas the number of active cases stands at 89,219. The Federal Ministry for Interior had issued a notification stating that Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad will seek the help of the Pakistan Army to strictly implement the coronavirus SOPs.
