Rawalpindi : Thousands of patients have been suffering badly here in this region of the country due to blockades of almost all roads leading to the public and private sector tertiary care hospitals in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi since Thursday evening.
In Rawalpindi, almost all link roads leading to Murree Road (Benazir Bhutto Road) have been blocked for three days due to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s March that has made thousands of patients and their attendants unable to reach tertiary care hospitals for treatment.
Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday has revealed that the three teaching hospitals in town including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital have been receiving less than 40 per cent of the routine patients’ influx at their outpatient departments for the last two days while almost same is case at the emergency departments of the three allied hospitals.
After the road blockades, the patients’ influx is well below 50 per cent at the OPD and the emergency department of RTH, said Medical Superintendent at RTH Dr. Ikram Ullah Niazi while talking to ‘The News’ on Saturday. He said the hospital has been facing problems due to road blockades as the staff attendance is also below 50 per cent for the last two days.
He, however, added that due to low influx of patients, the hospital administration is capable of serving patients reaching the hospital in OPD and in emergency. The hospital is facing problems in shifting patients to other hospitals as the ambulance service is not operational properly. Also a number of patients could not be discharged as it may not be possible for them to reach homes, he added.
Dr. Niazi said the operation theatres and emergency departments are working properly however, a number of patients and their attendance have been suffering badly due to blockades.
Medical Superintendent at BBH Dr. Shirjeel Sarfraz, when contacted by ‘The News’ on Saturday claimed that the hospital administration has not been facing any problem due to road blockades and almost all the staff including doctors, nurses and paramedics have managed to reach the hospital in the last two days.
The patients’ influx in OPD and emergency department of Holy Family Hospital has been recorded as well below 50 per cent in the last two days though the hospital is on high alert, said Dr. Ejaz Butt, MS at the HFH while talking to ‘The News’. He added the hospital administration has requested the necessary staff including doctors, nurses and paramedics to stay in the hospital premises till the problem of road blockades exist.
To a query, he said the hospital has already arranged sufficient quantities of medicines, oxygen, fuel and other medical and surgical disposables and the hospital can manage its services for another two weeks. The patients and their attendants, however, have been facing a lot of problems due to road closures, he said.