Tertiary care hospitals to be provided with more ventilators: Murad

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed all the district hospitals to give their extra ventilators and other equipment to the tertiary care hospitals so that the serious patients of the coronavirus could be shifted and treated there.
He issued these directives on Friday while presiding over a meeting on health-related issues.
The meeting was attended by Minister Health Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro and Secretary Health Zahid Abbasi. All the divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, district health officers (DHOs) and elected representatives of the areas attended the meeting from their districts through the video link.
The chief minister said that there were six tertiary care hospitals in the province, except Karachi. They are in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Gambat, Khairpur, Larkana and Nawabshah.
In these hospitals, the provincial government has developed best facilities to treat coronavirus patients with severe symptoms.
"I have issued directives to all the district health officers (DHOs) to send their extra ventilators and other equipments to the tertiary care hospitals and once the pandemic is over these ventilators and equipments would be returned to their respective hospitals," he said. He directed the DHOs to expedite their exercise.
Shah also talked to the deputy commissioners, DHOs and elected representatives and asked them to tell him about the isolation centers/facilities they have set up in their districts.
He also urged them to remain vigilant. The chief minister said that over 4,500 people of the Tablighi Jamaat have returned and most of them have been diagnosed as positive. Therefore, he directed all the deputy commissioners to keep the Tablighi Jamaat people in isolation.
The family members and other close contacts of all those who had been diagnosed as positive may also be kept in isolation at their respective homes. In case of any serious condition, the patient should be shifted to a designated hospital.
He directed the deputy commissioner to provide food, water, fruit and tea to the people of the Tablighi Jamaat at the isolation centers. He also directed them to provide them "Jai Namaz" and copy of the Holy Quran for recitation.
SOP: The chief minister said that there was an SOP for testing. Under the SOP, the person with travel history and symptoms was required to be tested. Without symptoms nobody would be tested.
The chief minister also directed the deputy commissioners to ensure proper lockdown in their respective districts. Minister Health said that there were 14 experts who would visit different districts and train them on how to take a sample of a suspect and send the same to Karachi or Hyderabad.