HDUs for Covid-19 patients running out of beds: health minister.

Byline: Imran Ayub and Faiza Ilyas

KARACHI -- Sindh health authorities on Saturday warned that the number of beds at high dependency units (HDUs) in isolation centres and hospitals of the province were running short due to a growing number of coronavirus patients, asking the people to take precautionary measures and observe social distancing to meet the challenge.

In a statement, Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho appealed to the people to follow social distancing and precautionary measures to keep things under control.

'In our high dependency units (HDU), the number of beds is falling short,' she said. 'People would have to take precautionary measures at any cost. We are also making effort to build our capacity and number of beds but people have to play their role.'

She said that there was a sharp jump in number of patients needing ventilators. 'We have dedicated a floor at the Trauma Centre for high dependency unit and intensive care unit,' she said. 'Similarly, in Lyari's trauma centre number of beds has been increased to 150 and at the Civil Hospital Karachi a block has been dedicated for the patients of coronavirus.'

She also mentioned that by the end of the month two units of 200 beds would be ready in the government hospital near NIPA, Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

Experts say easing lockdown may have very serious implications due to fragile healthcare system

'We are seeing a sharp increase in the number of patients after every half an hour. We need to be more cautious and careful after the lockdown is eased,' she added.

'Health system may collapse'

Health experts expressed serious concerns over the federal government's decision to ease the lockdown across the country and said it might have very serious implications as the healthcare system was too fragile at a time when the country was experiencing a continued rise in coronavirus cases.

The apprehensions were expressed at a press conference jointly organised by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (Pima) and Pakistan Chest Society.

Sharing doctors' concerns, Dr Ikram Ahmed Tunio of the PMA said all health-related organisations had been emphasizing the need for a strict lockdown from day one along with mass awareness about preventive measures to minimise the spread of Covid-19.

'As far as the state of medical facilities and capability and capacity of the government is concerned, it is known to all that the system will not [be] able to meet needs of...