The working at the three allied hospitals here in town has started returning to normalcy at least for emergency and OPD patients on Tuesday, but the government has yet to find a permanent solution.

Data collected by ‘The News’ revealed that the allied hospitals received over 3,000 patients in their outpatient departments on Tuesday while nearly 500 emergency patients were facilitated at their emergency departments Tuesday morning. It is important that the allied hospitals receive from 4,000 to 5,000 OPD patients daily on average.

The working at all departments of the allied hospitals including emergency departments, indoor patient departments and operation theatres got interrupted causing hundreds of patients to suffer badly after Sunday midnight when the young doctors withdrew services from all departments after arrests of young doctors in Lahore.

The allied hospitals have been accommodating patients with the help of doctors being arranged from resources outside hospitals for the last two days. According to hospitals’ administrations, the situation is getting better, but is not completely normal because of unavailability of young doctors.

Benazir Bhutto Hospital provided treatment to as many as 1,260 patients at its OPD on Tuesday while over 150 patients were accommodated at its emergency department in the morning shift on Tuesday, said the BBH chief Dr. Asif Qadir Mir while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

He added that from 8:00 a.m. Monday to 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, the BBH provided treatment to over 1,650 OPD patients and 1,048 emergency patients. “As many as 32 surgeries including 25 minor surgeries and seven major surgeries were performed at BBH within last 24 hours, but all were of emergency cases and not any cold cases.” Dr. Mir said that ultrasound was done in as many as 86 cases while 182 X-Ray procedures were also performed.

To a query, he said that the BBH has arranged nearly 50 doctors from resources outside the hospital to run its affairs including five doctors from Pakistan Army while others from Rawalpindi Medical College and rural areas of Rawalpindi division.

He claimed that no death has so far been reported at the BBH because of absence of doctors. “As many as nine women medical officers (WMOs) newly inducted through PPSC have given joining at the BBH,” said Dr. Mir.

The District Headquarters Hospital has arranged as many as 49 doctors from resources outside the hospital including services of five doctors from Pakistan army, 26 demonstrators from RMC and 10 doctors from peripheries, said DHQ Hospital chief Dr. Sher Ali while talking to ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

He added that within last 24 hours, the DHQ Hospital accommodated as many as 1,100 OPD patients while over 550 cases at the emergency department. To a query, he said that not a single patient died at the hospital because of unavailability of doctors. Referring to death of a 13-year old patient of tuberculosis, he said that the patient’s attendants have wrongly attributed death with the absence of doctors. The case was of chronic nature and the boy died because his lungs stopped working, said Dr. Sher. He said that so far, eight WMOs inducted through PPSC have also given joining at the DHQ Hospital.

Holy Family Hospital accommodated as many as 1,267 OPD patients on Tuesday while 240 patients were given treatment in HFH emergency department in the morning shift on Tuesday. “The hospital received 1,157 patients from Sunday midnight to Monday midnight of which 92 requiring admission were admitted to the HFH,” said Additional Medical Superintendent (Administration) Dr. Tariq Masssod Niazi while talking to this scribe.

To a query, he said that as many as 36 doctors including five from Pakistan army, 11 from rural areas of the division and 20 demonstrators from RMC have been serving at the HFH while a total of 17 newly inducted WMOs have joined the hospital on Monday and Tuesday.

On the other hand, the young doctors continued strike in all departments of the allied hospitals on Tuesday. “We have not called off strike as yet,” said Young Doctors Association General Council Punjab Chairman Dr. Muhammad Haroon when contacted by ‘The News’ on Tuesday.