ISLAMABAD: Doctors` representatives from four public service hospitals in the federal capital on Thursday announced that they cannot continue working without personal protective equipment (PPE) and would shut the outpatient departments (OPDs) from March 24.

Doctors from Pims, Polyclinic, National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM) and Federal General Hospital spoke at a press conference held at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).Dr Asfandyar Khan from Pims said isolation wards in hospitals had been established at such places which cannot be accessed by suspected coronavirus patients without passing through all parts of the premises.

`We fear that general patients and hospital employees will also be infected. There are no arrangements to protect nurses, paramedics and other staff of hospitals from the deadly virus. We had requested the government to arrange PPE but no one bothered to listen to our concerns.

He said it was deplorable that no adviser, parliamentarian or government representative visited hospitals to inspect the arrangements.

`In the current situation, it has become impossible for us to continue working. We will stop working from March 24 if PPE would not be provided to us. We also want assurance that a special package would be announced for those staff members who contract COVID-19 while performing duty. Though we are ready to continue our duty it will be a suicide to work without the safety equipment,` he said.

Dr Mohammad Yousuf from NIRM said it was not possible for doctors to continue working in the current situation.

Dr Mohammad Talha from Polyclinic suggested that rather than establishing isolation wards in all hospitals, one hospital should be designated for coronavirus patients.

Replying to questions, Dr Asfandyar, who is also chairman Young Consultants Pakistan, said the government had failed to provide masks to hospitals.

`An isolation ward has been established in the medical ward II of Pims due to which those suffering from COVID-19 and general patients have been kept close to each other. There are only 10 beds and two ventilators for the coronavirus patients.On the other hand, even orthopaedicdoctorshave been deputedin the lsolation ward rather than experts of infectious diseases,` he said.He said a health task force was established to address the issues but it was nowhere at such a crucial time.

`We get 10,000 patients every day and if only one confirmed patient enters the hospital, he can infect a large number of patients. We have also appealed to philanthropists to provide us masks,` he said.

Meanwhile, former additional secretary Syed Mohammad Junaid told Dawn that his wife, who is incharge of a health centre at Bhara Kahu, had developed symptoms of COVID-19.

`Unfortunately, PPE was not provided at the health centre despite a number of requests,` he said.

National unity urged Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said political and national unity was needed to defeat the coronavirus.

Addressing a press conference at Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) national headquarters along with PRCS Chairman A brarul Haq and provincial minister for energy Dr Akhtar Malik, the governor said all political parties and religious groups should shun their petty differences and get united on a single agenda of saving the nation from coronavirus.

He said the government alone cannot fight the challenge and that every segment of society would have to play their role.

`This is a unique type of battle which we have to fight by staying at home. We need to adopt social-distancing in order to contain the spread of coronavirus,` he said.

The governor said Pakistan needs to learn from China which has successfully fought this war through drastic measures.

Abrarul Haq said the PRCS had distributed informatory broachers with key messages on coronavirus preventive measures, and also launched a campaign on mainstream and social media to raise awareness about the disease.