Doctors who are on the frontline of the fight against the novel coronavirus in Herat province in the west of Afghanistan say they have not visited their homes for weeks as they remain engaged in treating COVID-19 patients.

To honor their service, banners have been installed by authorities in the city of Herat with photos of the doctors, calling them champions.

Some of the doctors from Herat's COVID-19 center interviewed by TOLOnews used the opportunity to call on the people to stay at home so that health workers can find some time to rest.

A contagious disease specialist, Mohammad Ibrahim Basim, who is a graduate of a Russian university and has served the country for thirty years, is one of these doctors.

“Doctors pledged to work at the COVID-19 hospital against their families’ will. Some of them even rented rooms in the city to leave their houses and avoid contact with their parents,” said Basim.

So far, 386 positive cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Herat, according to health officials.

Basim said he remains hopeful that the country will defeat the coronavirus despite the limited facilities and equipment.

Besides installing the banners, the authorities in Herat are encouraging the people to provide financial and spiritual support to health workers.
 
“Our health workers, our doctors, our nurses and others who are on the frontline of the fight against the coronavirus are giving a second life to the people,” said Monisa Hassanzada, the deputy governor of Herat.

Herat residents also told TOLOnews they appreciated the health workers for their service to the people.

“Our doctors are serving as if they were the country’s soldiers,” Herat resident Humaira said. “They should be provided with more resources.”

The number of confirmed cases of the 
coronavirus reached 1,463 in the country on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Public Health.