Pakistani brand Outfitters announced a major push to aid in the fight against the coronavirus.
The company has opened up its factory to produce free of cost protective uniforms for Pakistan’s healthcare heroes working for non-profit health institutions.
In a statement on their social media, Outfitters said this is a tribute to all healthcare workers. “We salute our healthcare workers and commit to protecting them while we push through these tough times. Together we can fight this,” reads the caption.
Earlier, Pakistani red carpet designers After Asim Jofa, Maheen Khan, Deepek Perwani and Lulusar shifted gears to produce medical protective clothing as well.
On April 4, Jofa and team delivered the first batch of around 100 full-body protective suits to the team of Dr Seemin Jamali, executive director at JPMC. “All the protective gears are up to the mark with all healthcare standards. We really appreciate your love and support,” said Jofa.
Jofa also presented face masks, face shields and hand sanitisers to the JPMC, saying he was making this contribution to provide frontline workers who were fighting against the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The move was also appreciated by Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, who said at this time, Pakistan is in need of real philanthropy.
Earlier on Monday, Jofa appealed to PM Imran Khan and the government to make a strategy facilitating PE need in Pakistan. He suggested that he will share the design details with the public so everyone can participate and make the outfits at home.
After Jofa, Deepak Perwani was the second designer to prepare prototypes of protective bodysuits for healthcare professionals.
The designer shared the news on Twitter. These prototypes are “washable, reusable and disposable,” he said.
Earlier, Pakistani red carpet designers After Asim Jofa, Maheen Khan, Deepek Perwani and Lulusar shifted gears to produce medical protective clothing as well
“Let’s all do our part,” Perwani said in his tweet. The prototypes are awaiting approval from authorities.
On March 29, Maheen Khan, one of the business’s biggest names, requested the Sindh government to grant her permission to open her workshop for the mass production of safety masks. “We request the relevant authorities to consider this an emergency and allow us to open our workshops in a small shift, enforcing proper protocols for safety and health purposes,” she tweeted. “We the designers in Pakistan are ready to contribute our workforce.” She tagged designer Perwani.
High-street brand Lulusar and their team also revealed via Instagram that they have revamped their factory to produce protective gear for those fighting the infectious disease at the frontline. They said that it will be sold at zero profit, the suit is free-size, washable and reusable.
Lulusar has not launched the suit as yet because the government has extended the lockdown for another 10 days.
Apart from Lulusar, many online pages, Facebook groups and online retailers are also selling the gear.
While talking to journalists earlier, Executive Director at JPMC Dr Jamali said that they appreciate any help from any department to safeguard the frontline doctors.
Dr Jamali said they have been receiving donations from doctors, citizens and the Sindh government. “We can’t afford to lose our doctors, we are just like a family,” she said.
Shortage of protective gear is now being felt in many hospitals around the country as the number of patients testing positive for the potentially deadly coronavirus continues to increase.