Bengaluru: Pakistani doctors have confessed that their country doesn’t have what it takes to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. 

"We are already very under-equipped when it comes to our healthcare. We don't have what it takes to fight this," said Dr Saad Niaz, a gastroenterologist at the Dow University of Health Sciences, as quoted by Times Now. 

"We will have great difficulty in the coming days such as refusal to admit patients because of no beds," he said. 

He further confessed that the situation will blow out of proportion. 

"The severity (of the outbreak) is much more than what we think already. All experts think this will blow out of control over the next two to four weeks. And with non-COVID patients coming in, the hospitals will have to be closed (to more patients)."

He also rued that the rate of increase was indeed bad. 

"This is a medical problem which (of course) has its resulting economic and social effects. But we need to understand that this is nonetheless primarily a medical issue. From April 16 to April 21, we went from 6,772 patients to 9,464 patients, which is a near 40 per cent increase... an increase by 2,692 patients. If you count patients from February 25, we took time in reaching 2,000 patients," he said.

Speaking on the issue of restrictions, he noted: “Restrictions in Pakistan have become a joke. We know that people are really worried due to the situation which has occurred just before the Ramazan but they need to understand the danger. Other countries have already banned congregation at mosques and other places across the country. We need people to cooperate with us.” 

Ansar Shehzad, Pakistan Medical Association Secretary-General, said, "Religious leaders should understand that saving lives is most important during epidemic spread.

They should encourage people from any aggregation in mosques. It may be difficult for the people but the time requires it. The government should use its facilities, NGOs should check every place wherever relief is required."