ISLAMABAD: Amid rising fears that the number of Covid-19 cases may again go up in the winter season, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has provided mobile laboratories to Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to strengthen capacity to diagnose Covid-19 and other communicable diseases, especially during disease outbreak in remote locations where access to labs may be limited.

“These mobile laboratories (one for each province) will strengthen the diagnostic capacity of the provincial health departments, and enable the government to respond quickly and effectively in hard-to-reach remote areas during emergencies,” said an NIH statement issued on Wednesday.

“In this connection, two mobile diagnostic labs have been provided in the flood-affected areas of Sindh. The mobile labs are parked in Badin and Larkana. A three-member team from NIH, including a doctor and two molecular biologists, has also been deputed to run these labs and train district health lab staff for operations of mobile lab.

Influenza, malaria, dengue and Sars-Cov-2 samples are investigated by utilising the mobile diagnostic laboratory,” it added.

According to an NIH official, although two labs had been provided to Sindh, one of them has been called back as the situation of floods is now under control in the province.

“Now each of the three provinces has one lab and we hope that they will make sure their best possible use,” he said.

Public Health Conference

Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor of Khyber Medical University Dr Zia ul Haq has said that it has become a routine that after deaths of patients in health facilities, violence erupts and health services are suspended either by the people or by healthcare workers and because of this situation many people die because they could not receive medical attention in time.

He was speaking at the 12th Public Health Conference here on Wednesday. The conference was organised by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Health Services Academy.

Expressing concern over violence at health facilities, Dr Haq said: “Entire communities are cut off from vital services, such as maternity care, child care and vaccinations.

“Sometimes the disruption because of the violence can be so severe that the entire system collapses. It is about time that we all join hands to address this issue of grave concern and ensure safety of health care.”

The session was facilitated by Health Care in Danger (HCiD), an initiative of the ICRC, a programme aimed at combating violence against healthcare.

This violence against doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, paramedics could disrupt the entire healthcare system when people need it the most, he said.

Associate Professor of HSA Dr Samina Naeem Khalid said threat to healthcare practically led to a halt in functions, jeopardising the entire health system.

She stressed the need for enhancing trust and respect for the healthcare staff through the media.

“The first step is to bring about behavioural change in the masses through media,” she suggested.

Head of HCiD initiative, Dr Mirwais Khan, said the humanitarian issue had long-term effects. “We all need to address it together,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2022