Doctors perform 16 operations under ‘cellphone torchlights’ in DI Khan

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:  Dutiful doctors in Dera Ismail Khan carried out  a record-breaking series of 16 operations, saving lives under illumination from their cellphone torchlights, TV channels reported.

The operations were carried out in the District Headquarters Hospital in D.I Khan town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, owing to incessant power outages and generator breakdowns in the hospital..

All the operations conducted were of emergency cases and had to be dealt immediately, reports said. All the surgeries were reportedly successful and have created a new record for surgeons the world over.

According to Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr. Fazlullah, the operations could not have been carried out as there is no possibility of conducting 16 surgeries in five minutes. The surgeons would never make such an irresponsible decision, he said, adding that the generators were available at the medical facility but may not be working when the operations were carried out. He said that a meeting with the consultants and surgeons would be held and the media will be informed accordingly.

According to the KPK Adviser to CM on Information, Mushtaq Ghani, the reason for holding the operations under mobile torch lights was the malfunctioning of the hospital’s generators. Ghani said he came to know about the news on TV.

Mushtaq Ghani said an inquiry was underway and officials were looking for alternative solutions in case of future incidents of generator malfunctioning. He also added that all state-run hospitals have been provided with enough funds and working generators, and that such operations only take place in rare emergencies.