KARACHI: Pakistani doctors and paramedics, the frontline soldiers in the ongoing war against deadly coronavirus in the country, have been exposed to the virus threat due to the panic buying of protective masks that resulted in their shortage and escalation in their rates, doctors and dealers said on Friday.
Pakistan reported the first two confirmed cases of coronavirus late last month, triggering fear among people who rushed to purchase these masks. The situation reached a stage where surgeons were forced to operate without masks in certain cases.
“Two weeks ago, when I went to the operation theater, I asked for my surgical mask. The attendant only gave me the cap as there were no masks available due to their shortage,” Dr. S.M. Qaiser Sajjad, an eye surgeon and Secretary General of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), told Arab News.
Dr. Sajjad is not the only medical professional who found himself in a vulnerable situation due to the shortage of masks as most of the city’s hospitals and medical centers also face the same situation.
“Although the government has taken steps against hoarders, the sense of alarm continues to persist. We are also facing a shortage of safety suits,” Professor Dr. Saeed Khan, who works as a virologist with the Dow University of Health Sciences, told Arab News.
“The shortage of masks has exposed doctors and paramedics to greater risk since many of them are compelled to use fewer number of masks for prolonged duration,” he added.
Some doctors warned their colleagues would stay at home if they did not get necessary preventive facilities at work.
“If the doctors, especially surgeons and ENT specialists who examine patients very closely, do not get the required equipment, they may prefer to stay at home instead of treating patients,” Dr. Sajjad warned.
The shortage of masks has escalated the price of ordinary masks as high as Rs 2,300 per box containing 50 units.
“The box of surgical masks imported from China at the cost of Rs 50 first went up to Rs 90 in the retail market. Then it escalated to Rs 300 before further increasing to about Rs 2,300, following their export back to China and smuggling to neighboring countries,” Abdul Samad Memon, senior vice chairman of the Pakistan Chemist and Druggist Association, told Arab News.
Following their shortage and price hike, law enforcing agencies carried out raids in different parts of the city and recovered huge quantities of masks.
“After the government took action, the prices improved. Still, masks are being sold at about Rs 1,200 since the supply is still not normal,” Memon noted while adding: “The N95 mask is not available at all which was available for Rs 300 per piece. In the black market, it can cost as high as Rs 1,000.”
Health specialists say it is not necessary for everyone to wear the mask, but patients suffering from flu, or their attendants, should use one.
“I think those who use masks can be at a greater risk if they consider it to be the only protective mechanism and ignore other measures such as washing hands,” Dr. Sajjad noted.
