Number of patients suffer due to road blockades

Rawalpindi : Thousands of patients had to suffer badly here in this region of the country due to blockades of all roads leading to almost all public and private sector tertiary care hospitals in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi since Sunday dawn.

The situation is alarming as not only all the roads leading to Rawalpindi city or the federal capital have blockades but also almost all the link roads leading to Murree Road (Benazir Bhutto Road) have been blocked for three days. The blockades have made thousands of patients and their attendants unable to reach both the public and the private sector hospitals for treatment.

Data collected by ‘The News’ on Tuesday has revealed that the three teaching hospitals in town including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital have received less than 25 per cent of the normal patients’ influx at their outpatient departments in the last two days.

It is important that on average, around eight to 10 thousand patients visit the three allied hospitals in OPDs per day while in the last two days, not more than 5000 patients reached the hospitals’ OPDs. Data reveals that nearly 15000 patients including a good number of those patients who were in need of follow-ups could not make it possible to reach the hospitals for treatment.

Almost the same is the case with the patients in need of emergency services at the hospitals’ emergency departments. The three allied hospitals receive well over 9000 patients per day on average in emergency departments including children and pregnant women in routine however, after the blockades on the roads, the hospitals have been receiving less than 2500 patients per day in accident and emergency departments, said Principal Rawalpindi Medical College and In-charge Allied Hospitals Professor Dr. Jahangir Sarwar Khan while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday. It is worth mentioning here that a number of patients in need of surgical procedures could not make it possible to reach hospitals and what a dilemma it is that a number of serious patients were transported through bikes for management at the hospitals. Syed Khawar Hussain Shah, aged 48, who was in need of dialysis reached HFH on bike. He was taken to the HFH and after dialysis, got to home on bike, said Khawar’s attendant, adding is anyone caring for the common men in the existing situation.

Professor Jahangir said that because of blockades on the roads, a patient who had to undergo a surgery on Monday could manage to reach the HFH on Tuesday after finding some way out. Many health experts are of the view that the concerned government authorities should plan a proper strategy to accommodate patients even when the roads are having blockades. What a pity it is that no one takes notice of the grim situation and thousands of patients have to suffer due to political processes, they said.