ONE WEEK FOR BAHRAIN: Join virus fight call to private medics

HEALTHCARE professionals in the private sector are being urged to volunteer for a week in the government’s fight against the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19).

The new initiative, ‘One Week For Bahrain’, has been launched by the Society of Owners of Private Healthcare Institutions to ease the burden on the frontliners battling a surge in new infections.

The number of daily Covid-19 cases hit a new record of 3,274 on Saturday, while the country is inching towards the 1,000-mark of total fatalities since the outbreak in February last year.

“The Health Ministry is currently overwhelmed due to the high number of cases, and we have launched this campaign urging all healthcare providers employed in private hospitals to come forward to volunteer,” the non-governmental organisation’s chairman Dr Hussain Meer told the GDN yesterday.

“The public sector is already doing a good job under tough conditions, and if the private healthcare institutions join the fight, it will ease the burden on the current frontliners.”

Dr Meer said the plan was to have a team of medical professionals from different private hospitals to be ready to conduct PCR tests on the public.

“This will cut down the waiting time for PCR tests as we will have more medics on the ground collecting samples,” he added.

Dr Meer added that all National Health Care Regulatory Authority (NHRA) licensed private healthcare workers, including expatriates working in different departments, are encouraged to register and be part of the campaign.

More than 30,000 citizens and residents signed up last year to volunteer as part of the national awareness campaign to tackle the pandemic.

“We would like to see everyone including expatriate healthcare workers volunteering for this national duty.

“Our plan is to have a team of professionals who can be assigned to collect samples from the public at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.”

He said the volunteers should take time out from their work, and help the ministry staff in collecting samples, which will also help in expediting the number of tests conducted daily. “We at the society encourage healthcare workers in different specialisations who are licensed by the NHRA to please come forward to register their details with us.

“I believe there will be a decline in the number of active cases now, but until that happens, we need to support the National Medical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (Covid-19).”

Dr Meer said the society had other projects and campaigns which will be launched depending on how the situation improves.

Meanwhile, a compilation of Covid-19 statistics showed 23,547 new infections were recorded from May 23 until yesterday, while the number of fatalities reached 145 during the same period.

Family gatherings have been repeatedly blamed for the surge in the number of cases and fatalities.

The GDN reported yesterday that women accounted for 40 per cent of the 571 Covid-19 fatalities from January until May 28, with Bahraini women constituting 78pc of the female Covid-19 mortalities this year.

The spike in the past few weeks prompted the government to announce a partial closure of retail trade outlets and services involving customers from last Thursday (until June 10). However, all essential sectors such as hypermarkets, coldstores, bakeries, pharmacies and banks remain open, while restaurants and cafés are restricted to delivery and takeaway services.

Mosques are restricted to those who are fully vaccinated, or Covid-19 recovered.

 

Source: https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/946352/ONE-WEEK-FOR-BAHRAIN-Join-virus-fight-call-to-private-medics

 

Share this page Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin
Close

Read our latest publication

'Bahrain-France Investor Guide' -
is YOUR guide to invest in Bahrain and in France. Click here to view the online guide