Family of late health worker urges people to get vaccinated

PESHAWAR: The family of a healthcare worker who lost her life fighting COVID-19, has urged the public to get themselves vaccinated as they lost their loved ones because the vaccine was not available then.

Talking to media, Hizbullah, husband of 40-year-old head nurse Yasmeen Begum, has also demanded the government to expedite the vaccination process for medical professionals as thousands of healthcare workers are at risk of contracting the deadly virus.

Yasmeen was working in Khyber Pakhtwnkha's Naseerullah Babar Hospital where she contracted coronavirus and died during treatment at the Lady Reading Hospital. Hizbullah, himself a healthcare worker, had also suffered from the respiratory disease but survived and has now resumed his duties.

"My wife died as there was no vaccine available at that time but we have vaccines now in the country and people should get the jab so that we can avoid COVID-19," he said. Noor told Geo News her mother had always served humanity with a kind heart and that she was a very dedicated [professional], adding "whenever I asked her for something, she would do it right away."

Fondly recalling her mother as a head nurse, Noor said she took care of coronavirus patients selflessly, without caring for her own life. According to the KP Health department, 64 doctors and six nurses have lost their lives due to the coronavirus in the province.

Over 80,000 healthcare workers have registered for the vaccine in KP out of which only 45% have received the full dose of the vaccine while 53,000 healthcare workers have been given only the first dose. Out of 6,000 nurses working in hospitals across the province, 4,000 have been vaccinated against the virus.

Health workers have demanded from the government to expedite the coronavirus vaccination process so that they can be protected from the infection. Anwar Sultana, General Secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Nursing Association, told Geo News hospitals in remote areas lack coronavirus safety kits. The government should provide protective equipment to keep the medical staff safe from coronavirus and the vaccination drive should also be expedited to prevent further deaths, said Sultana.