Second Pims staffer dies of Covid-19.

Byline: Ikram Junaidi

ISLAMABAD -- A second Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) employee died of Covid-19 on Thursday.

Izharul Haq, known amongst his colleagues as Izhar Chacha, was a senior ear, nose and throat (ENT) dresser and had been working at Pims since the early 1990s.

Pims Joint Executive Director Minhajus Siraj said he was admitted to the hospital on June 15 in critical condition, and placed on a ventilator the same day. He died on Thursday morning.

Dr Siraj said Haq was a very popular staffer among his colleagues and one of the hospital's most humble colleagues.

His body was handed over to the family in compliance with standard operating procedures and he was buried in Burma Town, he said. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

'Izhar was in Basic Pay Scale 9, and it has been decided to move a case to the ministry to give him the shuhada package,' he added.

On June 12, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Zafar Mirza had announced a comprehensive support package for frontline health workers killed by Covid-19.

In April, Dr Mirza had announced that the spouses of deceased workers will be provided 100pc of their pension and a plot of land, and a job will be provided to one family member.

Haq is the second Pims staffer to die from Covid-19. On May 18, the chief technician of the operation theatre at the Children Hospital also died from the disease.

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