ISLAMABAD: A senior judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Issa said that all the hospitals, including CMHs (combined military hospitals) must be opened for treatment of public.
Justice Issa said the Article 9 of the Constitution guarantees the right to life as a fundamental right, of which health is an integral part.
In a statement issued from the Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital, Rawalpindi, he said; “We are in a situation no less grave than a war, thus all the public sector hospitals, including combined military hospitals (CMHs) and other hospitals being run by the armed forces, be opened immediately to serve the people.”
“Otherwise, class and social divides will further be exacerbated and people continue to suffer and die because of an unequal system,” it added.
Justice Isa was shifted to Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital in Rawalpindi on July 31 as his health deteriorated on account of Covid-19-related complications.
Justice Isa and his wife Sarina Isa were tested positive for coronavirus on July 24. He stated; “My wife and I were one of the initial lucky few (less than 2%) in the country who were fully vaccinated as both of us were above 60; courtesy of the Chinese government. We took every precaution, including wearing masks in public places, yet contracted the highly infectious Delta variant of the disease. Even with the vaccination, I still had to be hospitalised.”
“I am receiving excellent treatment from very competent doctors and attendants at the Quaid-e-Azam International Hospital. We are extremely grateful to all of them. Such treatment is not within reach of most countrymen. My wife and I are truly blessed for the prayers and support we have received, and bow in abject supplication to Almighty Allah.”
First and foremost, it cannot be stressed enough that “prevention is the best medicine”. Internationally recognised and WHO mandated preventive social distancing measures are not being followed.
Justice Faez Issa said the nation’s health needs to be relegated to expert pulmonologists and other Covid-19 experts who should be brought on TV and radio to explain, warn, and educate the nation about threats of Covid. Urdu as well as all other spoken languages and dialects should be used to communicate important messages amongst public, he said.
He further stated that said violation of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) is not permissible. The Supreme Court Judge said that Eidul Azha prayers in the Faisal Mosque Islamabad were performed by standing shoulder to shoulder, which sent out the wrong message that the government’s own SOPs were not important.
He said that the Islamic teachings lay down clear preventive measures during epidemics which have also been completely discarded.
Almighty Allah has showered His Grace and Mercy on us and it is now our duty to come together as a nation to collectively fight this epidemic. Once again, we are truly humbled by everyone’s prayers and love, the statement concluded.
Pakistan, so far, has reported 23,605 deaths due to Covid while total virus infections amounted to 1.05 million. More than 953,000 people have recovered from the coronavirus.
