KARACHI: Expressing deep concern over the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has released a list of 37 doctors and three paramedics who have died of coronavirus in the country so far.

The association has urged the government to support the grieving families through the Shuhada package.

According to the list, the nine doctors who died of Covid-19 in Sindh are Karachi-based gynaecologist Dr Zubaida Sattar, medical superintendent Al Khidmat Hospital Tharparkar Dr Abdul Qadir Soomro, Karachi-based radiologist Dr Furqanul Haq, former medical superintendent Malir Social Security Hospital Dr Muhammad Nawaz Gohati, anaesthetist at Liaquat University Hospital (Jamshoro) Dr Tahir Almani, retired medical officer of Larkana Civil Hospital Dr Zahoor Shaikh, deputy medical superintendent Khairpur Civil Hospital Dr Shafqutullah Shaikh, chief executive officer Zubaida Medical Centre in Bahadurabad (Karachi) Dr Asad Zaheer and senior medical officer in Kandhkot Dr Younus Channa.

The 18 Punjab-based doctors are Dr Ali Nazir (CMH medical college Lahore), Dr Rabia Tayyab (Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi), Dr Akram Qureshi (former president of PMA Punjab practicing as a general physician in Sialkot), Dr Ijaz Ahsan (president of College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan), Dr Sana Fatima (Lahore), Dr Salman Tahir (Lahore), psychologist Dr Naeem Akhtar (Gujranwala Social Security Hospital), associate professor Services Hospital Lahore Dr Hafiz Maqsood, PMA president Sialkot Dr Munawar Javed Mian, Dr Ghazala Shaheen (Nishtar Medical University, Multan), Dr Salman Ali Iftikhar (Services Hospital Lahore) Dr Rahat Maqsood (former additional medical superintendent of Punjab Institute of Cardiology), Dr Tanveer Akram Bhatti (Government TB Hospital, Sargodha), Dr Asif Rao (Lahore), Dr Ejaz Khawaja (Lahore), Dr Zia-ul-Hasan (Lahore), Dr Umer Daraz (Okara) and Dr Waseem Mushtaq (Faisalabad-based dentist).

The five doctors of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are: Dr Muhammad Javed (Hayatabad Medical College Peshawar), Dr Muhammad Azam Khan (child specialist in Nowshera), Dr Khanzada Shinwari (Peshawar), Dr Aurangzeb Khattak (pathologist at Police Services Hospital Peshawar) and Dr Phag Chand Singh (deputy medical superintendent district hospital Nowshera).

Asks govt to support families through Shuhada package

The four Balochistan-based doctors are: Dr Shah Wali (child specialist Mastung District Headquarters Hospital), Dr Naeem Agha (senior in-charge of Bolan Medical College, Quetta), Dr Muhammad Aslam Mengal (Fatima Jinnah General & Chest Hospital, Quetta) and Dr Zubair Ahmed Khan (in-charge Bolan Medical Complex Quetta Trauma Centre).

Dr Usama Riaz died in Gilgit-Baltistan.

The three paramedics who fell victim to Covid-19 are Noman Ahmed (Al Khidmat Hospital in Orangi Town), Zafar Iqbal (chief technician at PIMS, Children’s Hospital, Islamabad) and nurse Arif at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi.

Regretting the dramatic increase in Covid-19 cases across the country, the association said doctors had been continuously issuing health alerts and suggestions for the government and the general public since January 22.

“At that time, the number of deaths in China was just six and coronavirus positive patients were 300. Unfortunately, nobody paid attention to our concerns. Now, result of this negligence is obvious; till now more than 120,000 patients have been found positive in the country and 2,356 patients have died due to coronavirus.

“In this grim situation, it’s sad to see that a significant number of people do not follow preventive measures. In fact, they even do not believe that coronavirus even exists.”

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2020