KARACHI: The Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) recently arranged a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to Pakistan’s martyred doctors who lost their lives in the battle against the coronavirus.

A large part of the medical fraternity, as well as the family members of the doctors who lost their lives in the war against COVID-19, attended the candlelight vigil ceremony held at the PMA House.

The Central Leader of the PMA, Prof Dr Tipu Sultan, Secretary-General, PMA-Centre, Dr S M Qaisar Sajjad, Treasurer, PMA Centre, Dr Qazi Wasiq, Dr Shoukat Malik, and others also attended the ceremony.

Secretary-General, PMA-Centre, Dr S M Qaisar Sajjad, said a total of 133 healthcare professionals lost their lives to the coronavirus to date across Pakistan, out of which 109 were doctors, and 24 were others. He informed that COVID-19 had claimed the lives of 49 doctors in Punjab, 34 in Sindh, 19 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 5 in Balochistan, and one each in Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.

He said that the second wave of the coronavirus might prove to be more dangerous; thus, the federal and provincial governments’ concerned authorities must ensure the strict implementation of precautionary measures to control the prevalence of COVID-19. He advised the citizens to wear masks, wash-hands regularly, and avoid public gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In the end, the PMA distributed certificates amongst the family members of the martyred doctors.

-MN Report