–PPP chief says Sindh govt to announce special package for doctors
KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday accused the federal government of creating hurdles for Sindh government in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
Addressing the office-bearers of People’s Doctors Forum at Bilawal House Karachi through video-link, Bilawal said that the non-arrival of the federal government’s economic bailout package reduced the effectiveness of the lockdown and further spread the COVID-19 outbreak.
PDF President Dr Karim Khawaja, Punjab President Dr Khayyam Hafeez, Dr Javed Iqbal and Dr Arsalan Dewan, Sindh President Dr Razzaq Sheikh Dr Yar Ali Jamali, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) President Dr Nisar Ahmad Khan and Dr Dawood Iqbal, Dr Ashiq Hussain Shah and Afzal Abro and others participated in the session.
Bilawal said that the federal governments all over the world have given such relief packages but Pakistan’s has given nothing except continuing the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) funding started by PPP.
He said he has been talking about giving relief package not only to Sindh but to all the provinces alike but instead of helping, federal government is placing obstacles in the provincial government’s way.
He also said that the federal representative, Sindh governor, is not even signing the relief package ordinance given to the people by the Sindh government as an attempt to create hinderance. The package includes job and salary protection for the people of the province, rebates on utility bills, relief in school fees and rebates on house rent. Sindh government wants to give relief to the people of the province in all provincial taxes through this ordinance, he added.
“We also want the lockdown to end but before that we have to ensure the safety of people’s lives and urged that abundant test kits will have to be given to the provinces and facilities in hospitals will also have to be increased to cope with the situation,” he futher said.
On medical facilities, the PPP chief said that the federal government is not doing anything even in the KP where the people had given them a mandate. “We say that not only Sindh but the federation should help all the provinces as they need it,” he added.
He said that the federation and all the provinces should realise that timely measures taken by Sindh did not allow the COVID-19 outbreak epidemic to worsen.
He also said that doctors bravely fighting COVID-19 pandemic are the national heroes, adding that the Sindh government will announce a special package for them similar to the one given to the brave soldiers fighting against terrorism.
Bilawal directed the People’s Doctors Forum (PDF) to intensify the public campaign to keep the people safe from pandemics like COVID-19 and to make them aware of safety measures.
Earlier, in the meeting, the PPP chief was briefed about the medical facilities in the country.
Dr Dawood Iqbal from KP said that at the time most of the deaths from COVID-19 were occurring in KP and more doctors were affected due to lack of safety equipment while test facilities are also very limited in the province. No representative of the KP government has yet contacted the bereaved family of those lost their lives while fighting COVID-19, which has severely affected the morale of doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, he informed.
Dr Arsalan Dewan from Punjab told Bilawal that the centre for COVID-19 set up at the Expo Centre in Punjab did not even have oxygen facilities and patients were protesting against the unavailability of potable water.
