Pakistan Hospitals Warn They Are Running Out Of Beds

Hospitals in Pakistan warned the government that they are running out of beds to treat patients, as the country has registered more than 100,000 cases of coronavirus.

Pakistan, and neighbors India and Afghanistan, have lagged behind Western countries in disease tolls. Still, specialists warn a deficiency of testing or actual reporting in rural regions could be covering actual numbers.

In recent weeks, the country of more than 210 million has recorded a sharp surge in new infections, and on Thursday June 11, 2020, the government data showed more than 119,500 cases and 2,350 fatalities had now been registered.

Last week a leaked administration report implied there were almost 700,000 infections in Lahore alone. Doctors at various leading hospitals in the famous eastern city informed AFP they were running out of beds, ventilators, and other necessary equipment.

“As the cases grow, more health workers also are becoming victims of the disease,” remarked Farooq Sahil, a doctor at Services Hospital Lahore. Khizer Hayat, the chairperson of the Young Doctors Association of Punjab, stated facilities throughout the province required help. “Hospitals are running out of beds; there aren’t plenty ventilators provided to us,” he informed AFP.

In the southern port city of Karachi, health centers are avoidance of the sick, with an outsized sign near the doorway of the Indus hospital stating there was no room for coronavirus patients. On Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said he expected the virus to peak “towards the top of July, followed by a gradual downslide.”

Pakistan’s lockdown policy has been patchy at best, with Khan reluctant to call a nationwide shutdown to guard the economy. Asad Umar, who heads the national coronavirus task force, announced that a package to alleviate pressure on hospitals would come with 1,000 new beds in major cities.

“The crisis is unwinding now as we have halted to examine isolation,” remarked Sikander Ali Memon, who is heading Sindh province’s anti-virus efforts.

In Balochistan province, government spokesperson Liaqat Shahwani described AFP the circumstances are critical, and authorities were striving to cope.