Sindh govt to set up six infectious diseases' hospitals: minister

KARACHI: Sindh Health Minister Azra Pechuhu announced on Thursday that the provincial government has decided to set up six new infectious diseases’ hospitals in the province.

She along with the provincial chief secretary chaired a meeting to review progress on the health department’s different schemes.

88 schemes will see the light of day by December 2020, the participants were informed.

The meeting approved a grant of Rs180 million for upgradation of an intensive care unit at LUMS Jamshoro.

Sindh Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah said funds are being disbursed to the health department in view of the pandemic.

Azra Pechuhu said a consultant will be appointed for infectious diseases’ hospitals, adding a 400-bed infectious diseases’ hospital will soon be functional in the port city. She further announced that an institution is being set up to train paramedical staff.

Earlier today, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said 758 new cases of the novel coronavirus were detected and nine patients died in Sindh over the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 234.

In a video message on the coronavirus situation in the province, he said the province conducted 4,408 tests against which 758 – or 17 per cent – were declared positive. So far, 10,7827 tests have been carried out in the province, he added.

The number of people infected with the coronavirus in the province has jumped to 14,099 with the addition of the new infections.