Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured that the government stands by the medical staff including doctors and nurses and will provide them full protection in the fight against coronavirus.

He was speaking after inaugurating the upgradation project of cantonment General Hospital Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister said doctors, nurses and other medical staff are in the frontline of battle against coronavirus and they will be provided with the necessary protective equipment to ensure their safety and health.

The Prime Minister said discussions are being held on daily basis as to how the health workers can be further supported and incentives can be given to them.

Imran Khan said the trend of the pandemic in Pakistan will become more clear in a matter of one week. However, he expressed satisfaction that Pakistan has not witnessed the sort of escalation of cases as has been seen in the western countries. He said our fatality rate is also low when compared with the world.

Alluding to the increasing demand of protective equipment and ventilators in the world after the breakout of the pandemic, the Prime Minister said Pakistan is fortunate that China is giving us preference in provision of the equipment after controlling the virus in its own land.

The Prime Minister regretted that the health sector was not given preference over the last seven decades. He said the standards of our hospitals were better up till 60s and 70s but then allocations for both the education and the health sectors were brought down.

Earlier Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the up-gradation project of Cantonment General Hospital Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister visited different sections of the hospital and review the facilities there.

Up-gradation and renovation of the hospital is an important step of present government in order to provide better healthcare services to the residents of Rawalpindi and adjacent areas.