Srinagar, 21 June (KNS): Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) on Sunday appealed all the private healthcare providers in Kashmir to provide treatment on discount rates to people and keep in mind the economic ramifications following the Covid-19 pandemic.
DAK held a meeting in this regard and said that lockdown has already disproportionately hurt poor people due to loss of livelihood and lack of basic needs.
President DAK, Dr Suhail Naik in a statement appealed private healthcare providers like diagnostic centres, nursing homes and private hospitals to provide treatment to people on at least 20 to 30% discount in view of the pandemic.
“The coronavirus lockdown has caused huge job and economic losses. A large number of people specifically poor are unable to earn their livelihood as they are at home for the past three months due to the lockdown,” he said, in a statement issued to KNS.
DAK said they have learned that people across places especially those dependent on daily earnings are unable to get treatment as they can’t afford cost of the treatment.
“It is our social responsibility at this point of time to provide treatment on discount which would be a good gesture for the poor people who have to manage everything out of pocket for the treatment of patients,” Naik said.
He said that private healthcare providers should play their part besides providing service it would be good gesture if they provide treatment on discount rates as compared to pre-Covid time.
“We hope the novel coronavirus would go soon and people would remember this gesture. They should do it involuntary basis as people are facing a number of difficulties,” DAK said in a statement.
So far, 81 Covid-19 deaths have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir which includes 66 from Kashmir while over 5800 people have been infected by the virus (KNS)