LARKANA: A senior doctor of Sukkur, who contracted coronavirus from his patients, died at a Karachi hospital on Monday while 10 Covid-19 patients succumbed to the deadly virus during April at Chandka Medical College Hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) and high dependency unit (HDU).

CMCH medical superintendent informed participants in a meeting at commissioner’s office about the deaths from the virus. Samples of 11,851 suspected patients had been obtained since April to date out of whom 417 tested positive for the virus, putting positivity ratio in Larkana district at four per cent, said district health officer.

Commissioner Shafique Ahmed Mahesar instructed health officials to ensure availability of oxygen in ICU and HDU and take proper care of the patients. Consultants must visit the patients on a regular basis and PCR facility must be made available at the CMCH round the clock, he said.

Mr Mahesar said that three more coronavirus vaccination centres should be established in Larkana out of which one should be exclusively for women and reliable data must also be gathered.

12 coronavirus patients died at CMCH in April

He said that lockdown should only be imposed in the areas where ratio of positive cases was higher and SOPs must be implemented.

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Aneela Attaur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner Tarique Manzoor Chandio and other officers attended the meeting.

Five shops sealed, five arrested

Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner Ahmed Ali Soomro accompanied by personnel of anti-encroachment force sealed five shops and ordered arrest of five shopkeepers for violating Covid-19 SOPs during his visit to Pakistan Chowk, Resham Gali, Shahi Bazaar and other areas.

Senior medical officer dies of Covid-19

SUKKUR: Dr Akbar Ghanghro, a senior medical officer who contracted coronavirus while treating patients, died at a private hospital in Karachi where he had been under treatment since falling ill.

Sukkur Commissioner Shafique Mahesar expressed grief over Dr Ghanghro’s death and said he bravely volunteered to take care of Covid-19 patients and collect samples of suspected ones at Sukkur quarantine for tests when nobody even dared come near them.

He was in fact backbone of administrative and monitoring activities related to coronavirus in the entire Sukkur division, he added.

PMA condemns attack on doctor

KARACHI: Pakistan Medical Association’s (PMA) Sindh chapter on Monday expressed concern over attack on another doctor by an unknown group of people.

Dr Imran Ghauri was performing duty at taluka headquarter hospital in Shahdadkot at night when the group, who appeared to be intoxicated, atta­cked him and left him seriously injured.

Police later arrested one of the attackers identified as Mohsin Khawar and sent him behind bars.

The PMA strongly condemned the incident terming it an “act of brutality” and demanded foolproof security for doctors, especially those who performed duties at night.

PMA demanded an end to such incidents and provision of safe and stress-free atmosphere to doctors so that they could perform their duties with peace of mind.

PMA also demanded quality medical care to the injured doctor and immediate arrest of all the culprits involved in the shameful crime.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2021