Prime Minister Imran Khan has pleaded the medical staff to stay put, ensuring that the government is fully behind them, adding the medical staff are the vanguard in the fight against the coronavirus.

While “pleading” the medical staff, a thought-out word he used during his Urdu address at the inauguration of Cantonment General Hospital Rawalpindi on Wednesday, the PM alluded to the doctors and nurses to stay put in the difficult times and said, “You can feel the gravity of the situation that even the US has opened its visas for doctors in the wake of the outbreak.”

“We’re constantly carving out the best ways to help you fight the virus as we all realise that the pandemic is likely to grow,” PM said and added that “within a week, we’ll be in a position to see the direction of its growth.”

“However, whatever the situation would be, I want to assure you (the medical workers) that the government is fully behind you as you have a decisive role to check the growth of this virus.”

Imran Khan said that Pakistan had assessed the situation as early as in January that sooner or later the virus, that emanated from China, would come to the country.

“We had realised that we had to equip you beforehand, but unfortunately the spread was too intense that led the demand of the protective equipment higher than its supply.”

However, the PM ensured the medical staff of the country that “Pakistan is lucky to have a friend like China as it has been treating us on priority basis with regard to the provision of the medical equipment.”

He said that the equipment coming from China would be distributed within four to five days across the country.