Coronavirus: Grand Health Alliance slams Punjab govt over inadequate resources in hospitals

LAHORE: Grand Health Alliance (GHA) Punjab slammed the Punjab government for not dedicating enough resources in medical centres, saying that public hospitals are still deprived of facilities such as the personal protective equipment (PPE) despite two months since the lockdown was imposed. 

Talking to media at Punjab Institute of Cardiology on Tuesday, GHA representatives lamented that the authorities have dispatched only 750 N95 masks over the past two months.

"We are not asking masks for ourselves but for patients who need to be safe in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus," GHA member Dr Zeeshan said.

Regretting that the provincial government has not issued any Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) guidelines regarding the burial of COVID-19 patients, Dr Zeeshan complained that the biggest cardiac medical facility in Punjab is short on staff.

"The government should ensure precautionary measures to save the precious lives of people," he maintained.

Also read: Two weeks of protest and still no action: Grand Health Alliance slams lack of PPEs in Punjab

This is not the first time that the GHA has raised concerns over the unavailability of PPE kits in the province. Last month, the top officials of the organisation slammed Punjab government for not taking action despite two weeks of protest over the same issue. 

In a press conference held at Mayo Hospital in Lahore, GHA member Dr Mehmood had said the body had protested for almost 14 days but there were no PPEs for doctors treating coronavirus patients at the facility.

"Where are the protective gear kits that arrived from Turkey," he had asked. "There are 1,247 ventilators in Punjab and many of them are dysfunctional."