Protecting health workers is our number one priority: PM Khan

The protection of our health workers, from doctors and nurses to other paramedic staff, is the government’s foremost priority, Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured.

While addressing health workers at the inauguration of a project to upgrade Rawalpindi’s Cantonment General Hospital on Wednesday, the premier lauded health workers for “working in the front line” in the nation’s fight against the novel coronavirus.

He said the government will receive and process data on the spread and impact of the virus in Pakistan within a week. “In the meantime, we’re constantly thinking of incentives and other measures for doctors and other hospital staff,” PM Khan said.

“Since January 15, when we first got to know about the pandemic in China, we have been working to facilitate and equip our doctors,” he said. Unfortunately, things deteriorated as a shortage of equipment ensued across the globe.

The prime minister remarked that in these hard times, Pakistan is “lucky” as China has give its “first preference” to it and has been sending health equipment into the country.

He expressed that the relapse of the country’s health system was due to less expenditure on health and education by the previous governments. “You and I, we were all born in public hospitals and their standards were good back then.

“Our medical colleges gave degrees that were recognised across the world,” he said.

The premier said that things were still under control in Pakistan as compared to other countries as the number of fatalities here are fewer than abroad. Amidst everything, our first priority is the facilitation of our health workers, he reiterated.