LANDI KOTAL: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Wednesday said the government had appointed at least 1,300 new doctors on contractual basis across the province to help stem the spread of coronavirus.

During a visit to the Shah Kas Levies Centre here, the chief minister said the KP Public Service Commission had approved the recruitment of 635 more doctors, who would join the province’s health force soon to ensure better care for the people during the current coronavirus outbreak.

He said he inspected quarantine and isolation areas in the Landi Kotal District Headquarters Hospital and Shah Kas Levies Centre and found arrangements to be satisfactory.

The chief minister said the capacity of quarantine and isolation facilities would be increased if the number of coronavirus cases surged.

Praising the Pakistan Army, Federal Disaster Management Authority and Provincial Disaster Management Authority for helping establish 400-bed quarantine and isolation facilities in Khyber tribal district for coronavirus cases, he said more collective and coherent efforts would be required to combat coronavirus both at provincial and national levels.

Mahmood says KPPSC okayed recruitment of 635 more medics

Mr Mahmood renewed appeal to the people for adopting protective measures and following official guidelines to protect themselves from the virus and said the people’s support was extremely vital to win the war against Covid-19 in the country.

“As I requested the people to cooperate with the government in the war against coronavirus, I will reiterate that the government alone cannot win this war without the active and wholehearted support of the common people,” he said.

The chief minister said the appointment of doctors on contractual basis had been made to tackle the emergency-like situation in different cities and towns, while teams of new health volunteers would be made in the next few days to provide the best possible facilities to the affected people in the province.

He said the law-enforcement agencies along with different government departments and Rescue 1122 had to join hands in their fight against the virus.

Mr Mahmood said his government would soon announce an anti-coronavirus package.

Adviser to the chief minister on information Ajmal Wazir, who was also present on the occasion, said no case of coronavirus had so far been reported in Dera Ismail Khan.

He said the confirmed virus cases reported in the region were the pilgrims, who had returned from Iran and were kept in a DI Khan quarantine centre.

Mr Ajmal said the health authorities were providing the best possible facilities to the people in Manga area of Mardan district, who were quarantined inside their homes after the death of a local from coronavirus lately.

Accompanied by chief secretary Kazim Niaz, Mr Ajmal, Khyber Rifles commandant Colonel Bilal Mehmood, Khyber tribal district DC Mehmud Aslam Wazir, district police officer Mohammad Iqbal and senior security and civil officials, the chief minister inspected the isolation and quarantine facilities at the Landi Kotal DHQ Hospital and Shah Kas Levies Centre in Jamrud.

The health authorities briefed him the facilities available at the centres.

They said the suspected coronavirus cases detected during the scanning of travellers on Torkham border would be kept at quarantine centres established in Landi Kotal.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2020