The Sindh government has set-up a 1,200-bed Field Isolation Centre, FIC, for coronavirus patients in Karachi with AKU faculty and alumni providing critical advice on infection prevention and control measures.
The recently-opened FIC seeks to prevent new cases in the province by enabling coronavirus patients to safely isolate themselves from those without the disease. Those who are homeless, unable to safely isolate themselves from family members within the home, or lack the fi
From L to R: Dr Syed Arish Haider, Dr Nuzhat Faruqui and Dr Waris Ahmed at the new facility.
nancial means to stay in a hospital until they recover, will be housed here.
The government had been searching for a unit that could house a large number of patients. Once the 9,000-square-metre Karachi Expo Center was identified, the clock started ticking.
“We were given just 36 hours to convert the large conference halls into a field isolation centre,” Dr Nuzhat Faruqui, an assistant professor at AKU, shares.
She quickly put together a 3-person AKU team: Dr Waris Ahmed, assistant professor in surgery and Dr Syed Arish Haider, Medical College graduate. They pored over the blueprints of the Expo Centre, consulted the latest guidelines prepared by experts in Italy and China for isolation units and worked to develop healthcare workflows, patient safety measures and infection control processes on schedule.
Throughout the design phase, they collaborated with experts from other private and public sector hospitals, civil society activists, the Pakistan Army Medical Corps and the National Disaster Management Authority to organise supplies and to recruit over 200 volunteers to assist with the running of the Centre.
“Citizens from all walks of life have come together to convert the massive halls of the Expo Centre into a safe facility for patients and healthcare workers in just 10 days,” Dr Faruqui said. “It will play a key role in protecting the public from the disease and in reducing the burden on our healthcare system.”
The centre has been jointly established by the Sindh government and Pakistan’s military alongside civil society activists, volunteers, faculty and students from AKU as well as other public and private sector hospitals. It initially has 200 beds which can be increased by a further 1,000 beds over time.
Sindh’s Governor Imran Ismail paid tribute to everyone involved in establishing the Centre at its inauguration on April 3, 2020. “I salute all donors, volunteers, doctors, nurses, army personnel and janitorial staff for this excellent initiative,” the Sindh governor said.