At least 30 health professionals, including doctors, tested positive for COVID-19 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday.
According to sources, among the coronavirus positive health professionals fourteen of the medical staff who have contracted the infection were doctors, 11 other health professionals and five paramedics.
Citing the details sources said 11 doctors were from Peshawar whereas one each was from Bannu, Mardan, and Swat, adding that the condition of a doctor is serious.
Notably, an instruction manual lists down health care workers who qualify to be provided complete protection equipment. As per the manual, only those providing direct care to COVID-19 patients, including those performing the physical examination of patients with respiratory symptoms, ambulance drivers, laboratory technicians and officials tasked to trace out suspected cases of coronavirus, will be given hazmat suits.
Pakistan has 1,279 public hospitals and 220,829 registered doctors for a population of over 207 million, according to Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2018-2019. This amounts to one doctor for every 963 people.
