Doctors' Strikes: Its Time For Responding To The Plight Of Soldiers Battling Coronavirus

Doctors have been at the forefronts of the battle against coronavirus pandemic. Just like soldiers, they need to be equipped with 'weapons' to fight the virus - the provision of protective equipment must be a top priority. Doctors in Lahore General Hospital shut the doors of outdoor and protested owing to the unavailability of safety kits, face masks and other necessary equipment. In a similar incident, doctors in Quarantine Camp in Balochistan protested and demanded proper safety kits as there is a dearth of basic hygiene products. In Quetta, when the doctors protested against the lack of equipment, they received brutal treatment from Police.

In a press release, the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) strongly condemned the arrest of dozens of protesting doctors in Quetta, Pakistan. The press release strongly condemned the violence against them by the police.

APPNA welcomed the release of some of the arrested doctors while demanded immediate release of the rest. "Physicians are in the frontlines of the global effort against COVID19. They have been putting their own lives at risk providing care to patients afflicted with the disease. It is their right to be provided decent Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Reportedly, they have not been provided PPE such as masks, goggles and gowns in Quetta," lamented the president of APPNA, Naheed Usmani.

"As a matter of principle, APPNA does not condone strikes and street agitation by the doctors’ community. However, provision of PPE in the fight against a highly contagious and potentially lethal disease is a must and the matter should have been resolved before the doctors were forced to take to the streets,' he added.

"Doctors and police must be partners in the community fight against COVID19 and not be antagonistic to each other. On its part, APPNA has been raising funds and will continue to help hospitals and authorities in Pakistan with supply of PPE", concluded the statement.

The strikes of doctors could worsen the plights of patients and make it harder for state to fight against coronavirus which is engulfing lives at exponential scales.