Coronavirus isolation ward set up at DHQ hospital Chitral

CHITRAL: The medical superintendent (MS) of District Headquarters Hospital Chitral Dr Muhammad Shamim said a 12-bed isolation ward has been set up for coronavirus suspected patients at the 200-bed hospital.

Speaking to local media persons at his office along with officials of the district administration on Thursday, Dr Shamim said so far not even a suspected patient had reported to the hospital.

“However, we are prepared to meet any emergency situation despite lack of resources to deal with any situation,” he added.

The provision of diagnostic and testing kits to his hospital by the government is not sufficient, he said. The population of Chitral is about 0.5 million and the hospital is also facing shortage of medical and other staff, he added.

He said the travel of the virus to Chitral through people coming from different cities could not be ruled out.

The MS said people coming from Karachi would be screened at the designated points and the suspected patients would be shifted to the isolation ward for quarantine. He said in case of a need more isolation wards would be set up.

Dr Shamim appealed to people of Chitral to avoid visiting the hospital unnecessarily. He said through precautions and collective efforts we could tackle the situation.–Muhkam Uddin Ayuni