Health Desk:
Various parts of Balochistan have witnessed a sharp rise in the deaths of aged people during the last few days. The families of the victims announced deaths but preferred not to mention the reason behind deaths. Rather, they mentioned that the deaths were because of protracted illness.
Around a dozen aged people died during the last couple of days in Quetta, Pishin and Killa Abdullah districts. Since coronavirus is considered to be one of the social stigma, therefore, the victims’ families prefer to avoid linking a virus with any patient.
Increasing deaths of aged people have prompted the Balochistan government to direct the administration to collect the data about the number of people dying these days. “Chief Minister has directed the concerned deputy commissioners to collect the data and circumstances leading to their deaths”, Liaquat Shahwani, the Spokesman government of Balochistan told the daily Quetta Voice via phone.
“In the case of the corona, people will not be attending the funeral prayer and offering fatehas”, a senior doctor who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter told the daily Quetta Voice. Special protocols and precautionary measures are advised for burial and fateha in the case a coronavirus patient passes away.
Medical experts say that patients already suffering from asthma, diabetes, sugar, lungs and cardiac issues are prone to the deadly virus. Such diseases among elderly people remain common in Balochistan like in other parts of the globe.
As people in rural Balochistan do not realize the sensitivity of the disease, therefore, people with coronavirus symptoms continue to interact and meet with people. “A patient tested positive for coronavirus is among the villagers now”, a young man called this scribe the other day from Balochistan’s Pishin district. Please inform the administration to quarantine the family and isolate the infected man, he demanded.
Such cases of infected patients roaming among the population freely remain common in various parts of interior Balochistan. This, in turn, appears to be the main cause of the fast-spreading virus in society.
Government of Balochistan Spokesman Liaquat Shahwani has said that mortality rate of the reported patients was 1.5 percent in the province. Balochistan has so far confirmed over 1900 cases of the novel coronavirus and 24 deaths. However, independent sources and ground realities put the figure much higher than what is being quoted by the authorities.
Despite lockdown and social distancing appeals by the Balochistan government, crowds of people offering funeral prayers and fatehas could be witnessed in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.
