Pakistan's spike in coronavirus cases raises quarantine concerns

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Pakistan so far gets 20 ventilators as donation
More donations including ventilators and personal protective equipments will arrive in next few days mainly from China to prevent coronavirus

ISLAMABAD - Till now, Pakistan has received only 20 ventilators as donation from abroad (mainly China), reveals the latest information regarding donations available on the official website of National Disaster Development Authority.

Out of these total 20 ventilators, 5 are normal ventilators, 5 are portable ventilators and the remaining 10 are ICU ventilators. However, according to the official details uploaded by NDMA, 40 home ventilators, 3 ICU ventilators and 20 normal ventilators are expected to be delivered as donations to Pakistan in the next few days.

To battle the global pandemic of coronavirus, Pakistan has received eighty percent of donations from China alone. However, private company Ali BABA, few international NGOs and Singapore also aided Pakistan in fighting and eradicating coronavirus from the country.


Ali Baba donated 57,600 testing kits and around 500,000 face masks to Pakistan. The international NGOs donated 4 thermal scanners, 50 thermal guns, 3000 sanitizers, 10,000 masks, 1000 goggles, 1000 suits, 1000 gloves and 2 ambulance buses. Whereas Singapore donated 1500 goggles, 400 face shields and 2800 coveralls. The rest of all the donations are made by China.

The flight from Urumqi to Gilgit Baltistan brought ventilators (5), face masks (200,000), N-95 mask, testing kits (sample kits 2,000), and protective suits (2,000).

Another flight came from Urumqi along with Chinese doctors and brought protective suits (5,000), n-95 (10,800), medical mask (100,800), defibrillator monitor (5), CPAP (9), invasive ventilator set (3), testing kits (10,000), VTM (10,000), a-Interferon (9,600), Ribavirin IV Fluids (1,8000, Umifenovir (1,500) Levofloxacin (1,000), Azithromycin (2,100), Anti-Bac Linezolid Needle (15,810), Anti-Bac Ceftriaxone (4,200), Methylprednisolone (4,500), Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate (500), VC Tablets (360), Chloroquine Phosphate (120), Lianhua Qingwen (2100), Huoxiang Zhengqi Herbal (1,400),Fufang Yizhihao Herbal (1,260), Zukamu Herbal (2,100) and Xuebijing IV Fluids (14,000).

READ MORE: Venezuelan President Maduro orders mobilisation of artillery amid heightened tensions with US
After this flight, China sent another flight from Wuhan which brought disposable coveralls (10,000), n-95 (20,000), medical face masks (300,000), ICU ventilators (10), and portable ventilators (5).

After the flight from Wuhan with donations, Singapore assistance came along with Coveralls (2,800), Goggles (1,500), and face Shields (400).

These are the donations which Pakistan has received as yet. However, according to the data uploaded by NDMA in their official website, more deliveries are expected from China. Each flight from Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu are expected to arrive in the coming days.

Flight from Guangzhou is expected to deliver further non-medical mask (400,000), home ventilators (40), ICU ventilators (3), protection suit (2,000), goggles (10,000), face shield (10,000), medical face mask (100,000), sanitizer (182,816 bottles) and thermal gun (200).

Flight from Wuhan is expected to supply additional ventilators (5) and testing kits (33000), whereas the flight from Chengdu is expected to donate gloves (20,100), ventilators (15), face mask (5,667), protection suits (15,000), sanitizer (10,000ltrs) and non-woven fabric weighing 1442kg.
https://nation.com.pk/06-Apr-2020/pakistan-so-far-gets-20-ventilators-as-donation

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

So thousands of people from #Pakistan are crossing the border on #Afghanistan’s special request without proper identification on whether they really are Afghan Nationals or #coronavirus testing? How has this been authorised?

Pakistani citizens selling back their govt issued rations to regular stores


Police in Pakistan were filmed beating and arresting doctors who were protesting the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) amid the coronavirus pandemic

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Hundreds of caged dogs, cats and rabbits are found dead in Pakistan pet markets abandoned due to coronavirus lockdown

• Animal activists discovered 70% of pets at Empress Market, Karachi, dead
• The markets were closed amid a two-week lockdown in a bid to stop Covid-19
• Some pet shop owners resorted to sneaking in at night to try to feed them

The dead bodies of caged cats, dogs and rabbits have been discovered inside Pakistan's pet markets that were abandoned when the country went into lockdown.

As the coronavirus pandemic grew, Pakistan's major cities were plunged into lockdown which forced many shops to close.

Only market stalls selling essential goods such as food and medicine were allowed to continue operating.

It left pet shop owners blocked from their businesses, some resorting to sneaking in at night to feed the animals.

+8
A vendor moves the cages of animals outside his closed shop in Karachi during the nationwide lockdown

+8
Animal rescuers said around 70% of the animals were dead when authorities finally granted them access to the market two weeks after the lockdown was imposed

When animal activist Ayesha Chundrigar arrived at Karachi's sprawling Empress Market she said she could hear the cries of animals that had survived for two weeks after the lockdown was announced.

Starving and locked in cages with no light or ventilation, the surviving pets sat among the dead, trembling.

A Facebook video shows animals being rescued from the pet market.

In the six-minute clip ACF Animal rescue volunteers can be seen unloading dozens of animals.

Activists found the animals starving and locked in cages with surviving animals sitting among the dead

The animals were only rescued after activists appeals to authorities for access.

Chundrigar, who runs ACF Animal Rescue, said: 'When we got inside, the majority of them were dead, about 70 percent. Their bodies were lying on the ground.

'It was so horrific, I can't tell you.'

A strict nationwide ban is also in place against public gatherings and religious congregations.

After the desperate rescue, Chundrigar has now convinced the Karachi authorities to allow pet shop owners and her team daily access to the animals.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...et-market-abandoned-coronavirus-lockdown.html

 

[ezsasa]

Pakistan so far gets 20 ventilators as donation
More donations including ventilators and personal protective equipments will arrive in next few days mainly from China to prevent coronavirus

ISLAMABAD - Till now, Pakistan has received only 20 ventilators as donation from abroad (mainly China), reveals the latest information regarding donations available on the official website of National Disaster Development Authority.

Out of these total 20 ventilators, 5 are normal ventilators, 5 are portable ventilators and the remaining 10 are ICU ventilators. However, according to the official details uploaded by NDMA, 40 home ventilators, 3 ICU ventilators and 20 normal ventilators are expected to be delivered as donations to Pakistan in the next few days.

To battle the global pandemic of coronavirus, Pakistan has received eighty percent of donations from China alone. However, private company Ali BABA, few international NGOs and Singapore also aided Pakistan in fighting and eradicating coronavirus from the country.


Ali Baba donated 57,600 testing kits and around 500,000 face masks to Pakistan. The international NGOs donated 4 thermal scanners, 50 thermal guns, 3000 sanitizers, 10,000 masks, 1000 goggles, 1000 suits, 1000 gloves and 2 ambulance buses. Whereas Singapore donated 1500 goggles, 400 face shields and 2800 coveralls. The rest of all the donations are made by China.

The flight from Urumqi to Gilgit Baltistan brought ventilators (5), face masks (200,000), N-95 mask, testing kits (sample kits 2,000), and protective suits (2,000).

Another flight came from Urumqi along with Chinese doctors and brought protective suits (5,000), n-95 (10,800), medical mask (100,800), defibrillator monitor (5), CPAP (9), invasive ventilator set (3), testing kits (10,000), VTM (10,000), a-Interferon (9,600), Ribavirin IV Fluids (1,8000, Umifenovir (1,500) Levofloxacin (1,000), Azithromycin (2,100), Anti-Bac Linezolid Needle (15,810), Anti-Bac Ceftriaxone (4,200), Methylprednisolone (4,500), Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate (500), VC Tablets (360), Chloroquine Phosphate (120), Lianhua Qingwen (2100), Huoxiang Zhengqi Herbal (1,400),Fufang Yizhihao Herbal (1,260), Zukamu Herbal (2,100) and Xuebijing IV Fluids (14,000).

READ MORE: Venezuelan President Maduro orders mobilisation of artillery amid heightened tensions with US
After this flight, China sent another flight from Wuhan which brought disposable coveralls (10,000), n-95 (20,000), medical face masks (300,000), ICU ventilators (10), and portable ventilators (5).

After the flight from Wuhan with donations, Singapore assistance came along with Coveralls (2,800), Goggles (1,500), and face Shields (400).

These are the donations which Pakistan has received as yet. However, according to the data uploaded by NDMA in their official website, more deliveries are expected from China. Each flight from Guangzhou, Wuhan and Chengdu are expected to arrive in the coming days.

Flight from Guangzhou is expected to deliver further non-medical mask (400,000), home ventilators (40), ICU ventilators (3), protection suit (2,000), goggles (10,000), face shield (10,000), medical face mask (100,000), sanitizer (182,816 bottles) and thermal gun (200).

Flight from Wuhan is expected to supply additional ventilators (5) and testing kits (33000), whereas the flight from Chengdu is expected to donate gloves (20,100), ventilators (15), face mask (5,667), protection suits (15,000), sanitizer (10,000ltrs) and non-woven fabric weighing 1442kg.
https://nation.com.pk/06-Apr-2020/pakistan-so-far-gets-20-ventilators-as-donation

with this, pakistan's fate is forever sealed with china, there is no going back now.

 

[hit&run]

Stop bothering about Porkistan. They can go to any extent to hide and cover up their mess. Keep India’s western borders secure and do not let any of their snake enter.

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Stop bothering about Porkistan. They can go to any extent to hide and cover up their mess. Keep India’s western borders secure and do not let any of their snake enter.

they might get a few in side but Indian army will filter them out. the reason we need to keep an eye because they are porkies with the brain size of a peanut

Security agencies say that by trying to push in the infiltrators suffering from COVID-19 into India, Pakistani agencies want to spread chaos in the Indian side,
https://www.republicworld.com/world...navirus-infected-terrorists-into-kashmir.html

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

doctors in Quetta are still on strike for PPEs.

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Karachi hospitals reject Sindh govt’s request to reserve 20% beds for COVID-19 patients

Hospitals in Karachi on Tuesday turned down Sindh government’s request to allocate 20% of beds for coronavirus patients at leading private health facilities in the metropolis, a report published in The News said.

In a meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, The Private Hospitals and Clinics Association suggested that the provincial authorities should reserve some public tertiary-care hospitals completely as isolation and treatment centres for such patients.

Citing the unavailability of authentic testing kits for diagnosing coronavirus, an acute shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), an inadequate number of ventilators and the absence of experimental drugs, the association members and some other private medical institutions suggested that the provincial government should prepare critical care units at its field isolation centre at the Expo Center Karachi, for which they were ready to provide ventilators as well as doctors and paramedics to the health department.

Read also: Sindh lockdown rules to be relaxed after April 14: Saeed Ghani

The meeting was held to seek the private hospitals’ cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and to discuss as to how the hospitals and health facilities could share the burden of the government in dealing with the confirmed cases of coronavirus.

The meeting was attended by Dr Abdul Bari, CEO Indus Hospital, Rehan Baloch, EOC Coordinator, Dr Asim Hussain of Ziauddin Hospital, Dr Syed Junaid Shah of A.O. Clinic, Dr Saadia Virk of South City Hospital, Dr Umer Jang of the NMC, Dr Bilal Faiz, CEO Creek General Hospital, Dr Farhan Essa Abdullah, CEO Essa Laboratory, Dr Tahir Yousuf of Tahir Medical Center, Manhaj Qudwai, CEO Health Care Commission, Jawad Amin Khan, commissioner of the SHCC, Dr Ali Imam of Imam Clinic, Ali Farhan of Darul Sehat, Dr Salman Fareedi of the LNH, Zerkais Ankleseria of Ankle Saria Hospital, Brig Dr Waqar of Memon Medical Institute, Dr Mazhar Nizam of Patel Hospital, Commodore Kamran Khan, AKU, Dr Sadiq Ansari and others.

Officials attending the meeting told The News that despite the government’s offer that it would bear the burden of coronavirus patients, who would be referred to the private hospitals for treatment, private hospital owners refused to allocate 20 per cent beds (10 per cent for isolation and 10 per cent for treatment), and presented “scores of excuses”, including the unavailability of testing kits and PPE.

The owners recommended the government to reserve some public hospitals with hundreds of beds for patients and equip them with machinery and human resources.

Read also: Will expand capacity to conduct 25,000 coronavirus tests daily until end of April: Asad Umar

When CM Murad pointed out that some private hospitals, including the Indus Hospital Karachi, and the Aga Khan University Hospital were cooperating with the government, the association members argued that these health facilities were cooperating with the government “due to huge sums of money and grants that are being provided to them”.

Government officials who attended the meeting claimed that private hospitals were not ready to reserve their beds and resources for coronavirus patients, as this could not only endanger the lives of their staff but would also ward off their normal patients. They instead presented several other suggestions to the government.

Some of the private hospital owners claimed that they had lost millions of rupees in revenue since the coronavirus outbreak, as patients were not visiting health facilities, while OPDs were already closed. They feared that if they started keeping and treating coronavirus patients, other patients would not visit the health facilities and this would create another serious health crisis in the country.

During the meeting, it emerged that the federal government had promised to provide two hundred thousand testing kits to the Sindh government, but in the end, only 18,000 kits were provided to the government and when these kits were given to the labs, they rejected them by declaring them as “substandard kits”, and demanded of the provincial government to purchase good quality testing kits from reputable companies of the world.

‘Pressure tactics'
The Sindh Healthcare Commission, in a letter to the private hospitals, have asked to comply with the health department’s instructions and also submit daily reports of COVID-19 patients’ to both the health department and to commission.

“The Sindh Healthcare Commission’s letter is a bid to put pressure on private hospitals. We have told the chief minister that private health sector shares 70 per cent of health’s burden and it would be unwise to deprive patients other than those infected with coronavirus of treatment or to endanger their lives,” the chief executive of a leading private hospital told The News after the meeting.

‘Tighten lockdown’
During the meeting, the owners and chief executives of the private hospitals, however, urged the chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah to extend the lockdown after April 14 and implement it in letter and spirit, fearing that otherwise the spread of the viral ailment could not be controlled.

According to an official handout from the CM House, the chief minister told the participants of the meeting that he wanted their support, cooperation and guidance to fight coronavirus. “This is why, I have bothered you here,” he said.

All the doctors lauded the efforts and prompt action of the chief minister and said that had he not taken timely measures the situation would have been out of control. The owners urged the chief minister not to ease the lockdown after April 14. If the lockdown was withdrawn or eased, the virus would spread like a fire in the jungle, they said and added: “A large population of the city is slum dwellers -- they live in small houses with large families, travel in buses in crowds.”

The association added that if such kind of crowding was allowed, people would get infected in buses and on the streets and would take the virus back to their home and get their family members and localities infected.

The chief minister said that he would consult with his cabinet and other stakeholders on the issue.

All the CEOs and owners of the private hospitals assured the chief minister that they would provide him equipment, manpower, technical and expert support whenever the provincial government would be in need.

The chief minister formed a committee headed by Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho with Dr Asim Hussain, Dr Sadia and others as members to work out plan, and requirements and arrangements to tackle the situation.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/281617-ka...uest-to-reserve-20-beds-for-covid-19-patients

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Police in Pakistan beat and arrest health care workers protesting over Coronavirus safety concerns, lack of PPE

By Dr. Zayar
9 April 2020
Police officers beat and arrested protesting doctors and health care workers in Quetta, Pakistan on Monday, prompting outrage across the country.

The clash occurred after several hundred medical staff had marched to protest the authorities' failure to provide them with personal protective equipment (PPE) in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Across Pakistan, over 4,000 cases and 60 deaths have been recorded so far, figures which are certainly underestimates due to the shambolic state of the country's health care system.

The arrests and beatings occurred after health workers rallied near the city’s main hospital and marched to the Balochistan Chief Minister’s house. Police aggressively used batons to disperse the march and arrested 150 health workers. Responding to the arrests, health workers went on strike.

Doctors detained in Balochistan, Pakistan, following a protest against lack of equipment. Credit: Pakistan Young Doctors Association
The Young Doctors Association (YDA) warned in a press briefing that most services will not be provided until they are given the necessary equipment and PPE to tackle the surge in coronavirus cases. YDA has denounced the government for not following World Health Organisation guidelines, forcing medical staff to protest in defence of their right to safety and life itself.

The lack of PPE is an issue common to all health care workers on the frontline of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic across the world. The protest by doctors and other staff in Pakistan comes as protests and criticism of governments' lack of preparedness have mounted across North America and Europe.

Pakistan’s government claimed the medical workers were arrested for violating Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which bans gathering of more than five people, and holding a procession. Facing a wave of public criticism, Prime Minister Imran Khan later expressed his “dismay” over the arrests.

Quetta is the capital of Balochistan, Pakistan’s poorest province, and the 10th largest city in the country, with a population of well over one million. The province, which has long been the scene of an ethno-separatist insurgency, is virtually under Army control, and dominated politically by a tiny kleptocracy. They preside over dilapidated public infrastructure, including totally inadequate health facilities. This is reflected in the fact that in Balochistan, which is home to some 12.3 million people, less than 4,000 coronavirus tests have thus far been conducted. To date there have been 206 confirmed COVID-19 cases and two deaths.

Monday’s protest was driven by the mounting toll the virus is taking on health care workers. Underscoring the disastrous impact of the absence of PPE, 19 doctors and health workers in Balochistan have tested positive for COVID-19. Thousands of suspected cases are not tested for COVID-19 due to the lack of test capacity and essential medicine.

The situation across Pakistan is little better. All medical facilities in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar are dealing with a severe shortage of ventilators, gloves, masks and respirators. Health workers in Sindh have also warned the government that they will take strike action if their demands for PPE are not met.

The most vulnerable are the residents of villages and rural areas bordering Iran, which are economically dependent on Iran and have been completely ignored by the central government and Balochistan provincial authorities.

This state of affairs has been created by the hoarding of billions of rupees by the super-rich, venal bourgeois elite, which has displayed its utter contempt towards the masses by refusing to take the most elementary measures to effectively combat the coronavirus.

The terrible social conditions facing the masses are worsening by the day. Many can no longer afford basic food items due to skyrocketing prices and the devaluation of the rupee. While the Balochistan government has extended a lockdown till April 21 in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, this has further exacerbated the social crisis for working people, many of whom now find themselves unemployed and without income-support. Neither the Balochistan provincial government, nor Khan’s federal government have taken adequate measures to protect Pakistan’s impoverished masses from the catastrophic social and economic impact of the pandemic.

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/04/09/quet-a09.html

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Corona virus is spreading in Pakistan a lot sooner than China, circumstances could also be very dangerous
Written By Jeremy Spirogis 10/04/2020


Karachi: China's well being consultants who’ve visited Pakistan say that Corona Virus is spreading a lot sooner in Pakistan than in China. This data has been given within the report of 'Jio Urdu'. This crew of Chinese well being consultants is being led by Dr. Mamanghoi, Deputy Director General of Health, Sinkyang Province, China on the tour of Pakistan. The crew has held a number of conferences with the governments and well being officers of Punjab and Sindh and gave recommendations on coping with the corona virus. Corona Virus: Number of 106 drug distributors launched in Noida, now drugs will likely be accessible from dwelling

After a gathering with representatives of Sindh authorities and well being consultants, Dr. Mamanghoi informed reporters on Thursday that the corona virus in Pakistan is spreading a lot sooner than in China and this can be a matter of nice concern. <! –

->
He stated that the virus was present in fifty % of the pilgrims getting back from Iran in Pakistan and 15 % of these attending different non secular occasions have been contaminated. 80 new virus instances in Rajasthan, 463 folks contaminated

Chinese consultants stated that individuals are utilizing hand sanitizer in Pakistan in a great way, however they’re additionally taking a lot carelessness in using face masks, whereas carrying masks is essential for defense. Chinese consultants additionally stated that even after April 14, there’s a want to extend lockdown all over the place within the nation. There shouldn’t be any leisure on this, somewhat it needs to be made tighter. He additionally requested to extend the testing of Corona in order that the precise scenario will be recognized. Allahabad High Court asked- whether or not anybody did something for attorneys, they’re additionally in hassle

https://sahiwal.tv/corona-virus-is-...faster-than-china-conditions-may-be-very-bad/

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Pakistan Medical Association expresses concern over shortage of safety gear for health professionals

Photo: Reuters
The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has expressed concern over the lack of protective equipment being provided to healthcare providers treating coronavirus patients in the country.

In a statement released by PMA Secretary-General Dr SM Qaisar Sajjad, the misuse of N-95 masks by the general public had been observed. “These days politicians and bureaucrats were often seen wearing N-95 mask during their meetings and visits, whereas, health professionals were facing a dire shortage of N-95 mask and other personal protective equipment (PPE),” he said.

He noted that the N-95 marks were not necessary for everybody. “This is only needed in the quarantine and isolation facilities for the health providers treating coronavirus patients, who are at the highest risk of acquiring coronavirus,” he said.

“Doctors should be protected as they are frontline soldiers against coronavirus, the PMA secretary-general said.

“There are different types of masks available for healthcare providers and the general public,” he said, adding, the general public could instead use handmade washable masks.

“Surgical masks are for healthcare workers who are treating non-coronavirus patients at primary care level and during surgeries. The media should play their due role in creating awareness in this regard,” he added.

Earlier this week, Balochistan doctors protested against the unavailibiity of PPE and went on strike forcing authorities to make emergency arrangements.

Later, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa ordered military authorities to dispatch medical supplies for doctors in Quetta.
https://www.geo.tv/latest/281837-pa...rtage-of-safety-gear-for-health-professionals

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

https://www.dawn.com/ https://www.dawn.com/

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked overseas citizens to donate for government’s coronavirus relief fund.


Pakistan army forcibly moving coronavirus positive patients to PoK and Gilgit
Amid strong protests by locals, the Pakistan army has started to move coronavirus positive patients from Punjab province to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit Baltistan - the two most marginalised areas under Pakistani occupation.


Read more at:
https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...ofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

THEN: “While Pakistan is not as rich as America, it has its ‘Imaan’ or faith,” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Coronavirus pandemic. NOW: Please help us. S.O.S.!! But we can guess how these funds are going to be used by them.

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

Patients, attendants outside SIUT worry more about the need to live another day than a virus they can't see.
Shahzeb AhmedUpdated about 3 hours ago
For the past five years, Shaukat Ali has made the footpath opposite the tall, imposing structure of the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) his home.

Five years ago, Ali’s aunt, whose name he refused to give, developed a kidney-related ailment. Though he didn’t know the medical term for the disease, Ali explained that one of her kidneys had stopped functioning, which is why she needed dialysis at least once a week.

Ever since, Ali has been living on and off with his aunt and her five young children on the footpath. The eldest is 13 years old and the youngest four years old.

Lockdown? What lockdown?
Even as the whole country has gone into lockdown in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, dozens of patients and their attendants still sleep on the streets with no regard for the much-touted ‘social distancing’ measures. The dialysis procedures are like oxygen to them — they don’t stand a chance without them, they’ve been told.

Patients and their attendants sleep on the footpath opposite the SIUT even as the government has imposed a nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. These patients are the most vulnerable as their immune systems are already weak. — Photo by author


“It takes a whole day and a night to travel to Jaffarabad. And each ticket costs Rs1,600 to Rs1,700. Neither do we have that kind of money nor is it feasible to travel back and forth every week for the dialysis,” he explains, dismissively.

They were supposed to go back home for a visit two weeks ago but the lockdown was put in place. It would've been Ali's uncle's turn to come to Karachi now and he would have stayed home for a few weeks.

Jaffarabad is a district in Balochistan, located on the border with Sindh. It is an eight-hour journey by road, but a passenger bus takes almost thrice the time.

The family has gotten used to life on the streets. The children have even enrolled in a nearby school. “It’s closed now because of this virus everyone keeps talking about, but they’ve been going to school regularly.” The children’s mother has even made arrangements with one of SIUT’s security guards, who keeps their uniforms in storage.

Shaukat Ai looks at his young cousins sleeping next to their mother, who is a patient at the SIUT and needs a dialysis procedure every week. The family has been living on the footpath for the past five years. — Photo by author


For food, they visit the stall of any one of the charity organisations nearby thrice a day. More difficult is finding a place to relieve oneself, which is mostly on a quiet street corner hidden from view, says Ali.

During the day, Ali goes to find work on construction sites while his aunt tends to the children. They don't stay on the footpath during the day. It gets too hot and the road is quite busy so they find a shaded spot in one of the adjoining streets, as long as the residents don't shoo them away. At night, they return to claim their space on the footpath.

“It was difficult to adjust to life on the streets at first,” he says, his voice faint as he recaps his experience. “But my aunt needs the dialysis and at least she has the children with her.”

As he speaks, the aunt and children are fast asleep next to him, their faces covered with chaddors to protect themselves from mosquitoes and other bugs. “That’s the worst — mosquitoes. That and the stench.” The area stinks of urine and overflowing garbage, strewn about along the side of the road and in the nearby garbage dump. Ali says he never really got used to it.

Home away from home
Ali’s story is similar to that of dozens of others who have been forced to make the footpath their semi-permanent abode. They line the footpath, covered by blankets and chaddors every night, invisible to the commuters and passers-by who race past.

They are all attendants of patients like Ali’s aunt. Many of these patients need the dialysis procedure twice or even thrice a week.

According to the SIUT website, the institute carries out 990 dialysis procedures every day. The procedures are performed free-of-cost, but it comes with a price tag — the hospital is so busy that it doesn’t allow any attendant to stay with the patient.

Many of these patients come from outside Karachi. Most don’t have any accommodation in the city. The trouble is, it is these patients who are the most immunocompromised, meaning their immune systems are weaker than most human beings.

Daud Lashari, 25, is one such patient. He has a tube protruding from his neck and is sitting upright, failing miserably at his attempts to squat as many mosquitos as he can. When approached, he looks up with tired-looking eyes, a frown on his face.

“It doesn’t matter how many I kill. Thousands more attack the minute I stop waving about,” he says, the frustration audible in his tone.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1549340/c...ave-no-choice-but-to-live-on-karachis-streets
Daud Lashari and his uncle, Rajab Ali, have come from Sujawal district for his dialysis procedure. They are a day early so they must spend the night on the footpath. — Photo by author


Lashari was supposed to get his first regular dialysis, but he mixed up the dates and arrived a day earlier. “Now I must sleep here,” he says, looking angrily at an older man, who introduces himself as Lashari’s uncle, Rajab Ali.

Rajab and Lashari have come from Daro village in district Sujawal — a four-hour drive from Karachi. They came in an ambulance of the Sindh Rescue and Medical Services, operated by the Aman Foundation. The travel doesn’t cost them anything but it takes a toll on Lashari’s frail health, whose both kidneys have failed.

But why come all the way when they could’ve easily gone to one of the medical facilities closer to their home?

Why SIUT
SIUT claims to operate by the motto: “Healthcare for all, with dignity and compassion”.

Inside the facility, walls are adorned with posters in several languages, warning about the dangers of the coronavirus and tips to maintain self-hygiene.

On the fifth floor, the institute’s founder and one of the country’s most-renowned philanthropists, Dr Adibul Hasan Rizvi, sits on a sofa, dressed in green scrubs. His face is covered by a mask, voice barely audible from behind it.

“Why should they need to come here?” he questions when asked about the patients and their attendants sleeping outside.

“Why can’t there be a hospital built near Jaffarabad or in every district so that patients can get treatment with dignity?” he continues, adding that the SIUT’s Sukkur facility was a model that could be replicated across the country.

For Rajab, the SIUT offers one thing that other medical facilities don’t. “They treat you with dignity and give the best care, all for free,” he remarks. And if that means living on the footpath for a few nights, so be it.

'Forgive me’
But Dr Rizvi is particularly worried about the potential devastation that the coronavirus may cause in Pakistan if it continues to spread. “I want to apologise to the public. We [SIUT] were too late in starting our operations to fight the coronavirus,” he says, before being asked about corona-related measures.

Dr Rizvi and his team had initially thought that other medical facilities, better equipped to deal with the virus, would take the lead in the fight against it. “But when I saw reports of a private hospital shutting its doors on patients, I couldn’t not act anymore.”

They soon set up a helpline, a walk-in screening and testing facility and even an isolation ward for patients with severe symptoms. Initially, they asked friends and friends of friends to bring testing kits in their luggage when they came from abroad. Dr Rizvi didn’t share details of the friends or which countries they brought the kits from.

A walk-in screening clinic set up by the SIUT at its facility. — Photo by author


“The Sindh government has helped us a lot too,” he added.

As of April 14, SIUT had screened over 5,030 suspected patients, of whom 619 were tested for the virus. Of these, 154 had tested positive, the majority of whom were “advised and counselled for home-isolation”, according to a statement issued by the institute.

Besides, seven patients were admitted to the isolation ward, while six others were on ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit. Three others, who were on ventilator, were discharged after their condition improved and they tested negative for the virus.

Taking notice
Reached for comment regarding the plight of the patients and their attendants outside the institute, the Sindh health department referred the matter to the respective deputy commissioner (DC), saying it fell under his domain.

South DC Irshad Sodhar said he had no knowledge of the matter. “Now that you have brought it into my notice, I will look into it,” he told Dawn.com.

A man sleeps under a mosquito net on the footpath opposite the SIUT. — Photo by author


Dr Rizvi once famously said: “We can’t let them die if they can’t afford to live.”

For the patients and their attendants outside the centre, the hope to live another day keeps them there.

“And if it means living without a roof over our head some days, so be it,” says Rajab. He’s not even worried about the coronavirus. He just hopes the mosquitos and other bugs don’t get him first.

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

by Staff Report , (Last Updated 21 hours ago)

ISLAMABAD: Following up on his call for a ‘Global Initiative on Debt Relief’, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday held a telephonic conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

During the call, the prime minister emphasised that COVID-19 has unfolded an unprecedented global health and economic crisis, where developing countries will be hit harder due to lack of fiscal space and debt servicing. People in the developing world face a starker choice: death by COVID-19 or by hunger, he added.

He underscored that ability of the developing countries to cope with the COVID-19 challenge would depend on providing urgent debt relief, at their request, and without onerous conditions.

The premier hoped that alongside the United Nations Secretary General (UNGS) António Guterres, countries like Germany would provide leadership to this issue, in the forthcoming G-20 Finance Ministers’ Meeting as well as the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB).

Following up on their earlier conversation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain the outbreak, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had a telephonic conversation with the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dominic Raab.

The Foreign Minister felicitated him on improving health of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and wished him speedy recovery. He commended the able stewardship of the fight against the outbreak by the British secretary of state in the absence of the British PM.

Underscoring Pakistan’s solidarity and long-standing affiliation with United Kingdom and its people, the foreign minister offered heart-felt condolences over the loss of precious lives. He also lauded the role being played by the National Health Service (NHS) and healthcare professionals across the world who are risking their lives to look after the patients.

The two ministers discussed matters relating to repatriation of citizens in the wake of closure of airspace due to the pandemic emergency. The foreign minister informed his British counterpart that so far, the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has operated 23 flights repatriating more than 7,700 British nationals. The British secretary of state appreciated and thanked Pakistan for its support and further informed that the UK wanted to operate chartered flights to repatriate remaining British nationals from Pakistan. The foreign minister said that Pakistan was open to the idea and would facilitate the UK in this regard.

FM Qureshi also apprised the British secretary of state about PM Imran’s call for debt relief for poor countries. Alluding to reports by WB and IMF concerning an imminent economic recession of a graver nature than the Great Depression, the foreign minister underscored that without immediate, coordinated and comprehensive actions to create fiscal space, the developing world may have to contend with dire social, political and economic consequences. He expressed hope that the UK will support and advance this cause in earnest, particularly through the platform of G20. The British secretary of state assured FM Qureshi of UK’s understanding and support for the initiative.

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/04/14/pakistan-asks-germany-uk-for-debt-relief/

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

For Pakistan, Coronavirus pandemic is an excuse to beg for money

For Pakistan Coronavirus pandemic is an excuse to beg for money

We are living amid a pandemic. Citizens are looking up to their respective governments for direction. But there is one country Pakistan that is not interpreting this virus as an existential threat for its people. It sees this as a tool to shift responsibility and make money out of this crisis.

At a time when world leaders are looking at ways to contain the spread of coronavirus. Imran Khan wants Pakistan's debt written off — and his ploy is working.

The Pakistan government has managed to secure millions in relief aid from the world bank. But nothing in Imran Khan's record can lead us to believe — that he will use this money to protect his citizens.

Imran khan could have done a lot. His government could have rescued stranded students from Wuhan. They could have taken aggressive measures to slow the outbreak.

The Pakistan health ministry could have tested and quarantined thousands of pilgrims arriving from Iran to Taftan in Balochistan.

But Imran Khan did none of these things, Instead — he used the virus as an excuse to beg the world for money.

This even as he continues to fund ventures for self-promotion. His government is spending 42 million Pakistan rupees on defending itself on the internet.

Now, Pakistan was offered help — India reached out as we have reported in the past.India asked Pakistan to be a part of the SAARC video conference on Covid-19.

The Indian govt wanted to put issues on the back-burner and help its neighbours in times of crisis.But Pakistan wasted the chance, this was a humanitarian platform. Pakistan chose to politicise it.

It decided to push the Kashmir agenda — that too on the shoulders of a scam-accused health advisor. Zafar Mirza, this man is leading the country's coronavirus battle.

How you may ask?

By smuggling masks out of Pakistan — the country's federal investigative agency has named Zafar Mirza in its chargesheet. 20 million masks were smuggled out of Pakistan. Thanks to him — right now — a box of ordinary surgical masks are being sold for more than 4,000 Pakistani rupees.

This crisis like many in Pakistan is of its own making. Its citizens are panicking at super-markets and stores to find masks. The number of coronavirus cases has risen 335 there. But confronted with the reality — Imran Khan is trying to evade all blame.

He is using the only political trick he knows — tell the world how powerless he is and how vulnerable Pakistan is. The Pakistan PM wanted a loan waiver — he has now got 588 million dollars for Pakistan's so-called emergency response to Covid-19.

The Asian development bank and the world bank have committed to providing this money to his government. Once again — the fact that Pakistan has constantly used many such financial doles to fund terror has been conveniently ignored.

Ever since his election — Mr Khan has managed to winkle out bail packages from world leaders. And at the same time, a conducive environment for terror has flourished in Pakistan.

Even this year — the country was on the FATF grey-list for inaction on state-sponsored terror. The coronavirus may be a pandemic for the world. For Pakistan — it's an opportunity to exploit the chaos.
https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/...pandemic-is-an-excuse-to-beg-for-money-287452

 

[AVERAGE INDIAN]

MENAFN - Tribal News Network) Anees Takkar

MARDAN: Journalists are being stopped from coverage of distribution points of Ehsaas Program in all parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in Mardan.

No journalist is allowed to enter the distribution point or even get near to it. In some areas, reports have received that policemen have snatched cameras and mobile phones of journalists and also briefly kept them in confinement for trying to cover the happenings at distribution points.

Bakht Munir, a reporter associated with a private news channel in Mardan, when reached a distribution centre near the Mardan College Road, the policemen stopped him from coverage and also snatched his mobile phone. Bakht Munir told TNN that he told policemen that journalists have permission to cover the event and he also showed his press card, but the policemen were adamant not to allow him to cover the event.

'People told me that a large number of people have gathered at the Ehsaas Program distribution point to collect aid and there is no precaution worth its name there amid the fears of spread of coronavirus. When I went there, policemen did not allow me to show the people what is happening there,' Bakht Munir said.

The government has set up distribution points in different districts to enable the people to collect financial aid under the Ehsaas Program. It was promised that all arrangements for social distancing will be made at distribution points and soaps and hand sanitizers will also be available there besides proper seating arrangement for aid receivers. But these facilities are not available at most of the centres.




Saleem Khan, a local resident, told TNN that he came to the distribution point along with his wife at 7:00am, but no progress was made on his case till 11:00am. He said a crowd of women was gathered there due to which he was extremely concerned. He said coronavirus may spread quickly in such crowded places. He said he was standing under the open sky and there was no proper seating arrangement.

https://menafn.com/1100026507/Pakis...d-to-enter-Ehsass-Program-distribution-points
Another citizen, Jan Said, said the government doesn't seem serious in controlling coronavirus as social distancing measures are invisible at the distribution points.

Another local journalist, Ajmal, said he was welcome at a distribution point and he was even allowed to go inside. He said precautionary measures were not satisfactory, although the administration was trying to keep the people disciplined.

Additional Assistant Commissioner Nek Muhammad said security officials have been deployed at distribution centres and arrangements are being monitored regularly.

 

[HariPrasad-1]

One more Pak Fauj Poly to loot the beggar Nation

 

[HariPrasad-1]

Disaster in Sukkur, Pakistan 100s of piligrims, who came from Iran were quarantined here, have broken off from quarinateine camp and gone out protesting on streets

Sale gander log. Keep them isolated in one place. Let them die their own deathy