Staff Reporter Karachi
Two doctors hailing from Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district, one of them fully vaccinated against Covid-19, succumbed to the disease in Karachi on Friday, a senior official of the Pakistan Medical Association confirmed.
Dr Nisar Ali Shah, former senior medico-legal officer of Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, and Dr Farzana Memon, a gynecologist in her native town, had contracted the virus a few days ago, according to PMA’s Dr Qaiser Sajjad.
Dr Shah had been running a private clinic in Gulistan-i-Jauhar area and, according to his friends, he was a writer and belonged to a literary family.
The PMA representative said Dr Shah had recently received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, but he still got infected and passed away after his condition deteriorated.
He was initially taken to a private hospital in the area where he ran his clinic and was later shifted to Civil Hospital due to an abnormal fluctuation in his oxygen levels, which eventually aggravated his condition.
According to Dr Sajjad, the late doctor was also a member of the PMA’s executive committee and was quite vocal in advocating for the rights of doctors.
He said vaccinated individuals might still get the infection but with less severe symptoms and greater chances of recovery.
“The focus must be on increasing vaccination status and ensuring that people strictly follow the SOPs,” he added. Additional police surgeon Dr Qarar Abbasi said Dr Shah’s wife had also been infected with the virus, adding that she was currently in isolation at her home.
It wasn’t clear whether Dr Memon was vaccinated, however, “I am personally aware that Dr Shah had taken the recommended two doses of the vaccine a few days ago,” Dr Sajjad told media.
He said the number of doctors who had died due to Covid-related complications had risen to 73 in the province.
On July 24, senior physician associated with a private hospital, Dr Iqbal Noori, had died of Covid-19 after remaining hospitalised for more than a week.
