Coronavirus outbreak: 138 nurses test positive for virus in KP

PESHAWAR: As many as 138 nurses working in different hospitals across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have tested positive for the coronavirus, reports The News.

According to sources in the provincial health department, the number of infected nurses in the province is increasing rapidly with the increasing numbers of patients. Twenty nurses have recovered so far, and one senior member of the community has died in Kohat, the sources added.

Separately, KP Health Minister Taimur Saleem Jaghra told The News that the provincial government had already decided on a 'shuhada package' for those healthcare professionals who lost their lives while treating COVID-19 patients.

According to data made available to The News, Peshawar is the most affected city, with 71 nurses having tested positive for coronavirus. The Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) is on top with 28 nurses affected by the virus. Fourteen nurses of Hayatabad Medical Teaching Hospital and nine of Khyber Teaching Hospital are suffering from the disease.

Two staff nurses of Mental Hospital, three of Shaukat Khanum, one of police hospital and four nurses of Rehman Medical Institute Peshawar have also been affected by the coronavirus. At least 10 nurses of other small hospitals have also been infected with the virus in Peshawar.

Similarly, eight nurses each from Abbottabad and Swat hospitals have tested positive and quarantined. Seven nurses from Swabi, four each from Temaragarha and Batkhela while two nurses of Shangla hospital are suffering from coronavirus.

In Mardan, three nurses while in Charsadda and Nowshera, one each have fallen victim to the virus. Two nurses each in Nowshera, Bajaur and Upper Dir have tested positive while one each in Kohat and Takht Bhai were suffering from coronavirus.

Advisor on Information and Public Relations Ajmal Wazir told The News that the nursing community is serving on the front-line and the provincial government would do everything possible to help them. He said that KP had the highest recovery rate and 200 isolated wards of coronavirus were established in the province with a capacity of 5,598 beds besides 359 quarantine centres and over 550 ventilators reserved for the virus patients.

The adviser requested citizens to follow the guidelines issued by the government to avoid burden on hospitals and medical professionals, working in different hospitals.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nurses Association has urged the government to provide immediate assistance to the family of martyred nurses and give a shuhada package along with a civil award. A spokesman demanded that all health workers, including nurses, should also be given a risk allowance equal to one basic salary.

Originally published in The News