Medical stores remain closed even after blast

Politicians’ visits to hospitals hit patients

LAHORE

The chemists and medical stores owners, on the pretext of mourning of Monday’s blast, kept their doors closed to patients on second consecutive day Tuesday to exert pressure on the government to withdraw the amendments to drug law.

Pakistan Druggists and Chemists Association (PDCA) announced keeping the businesses of pharmaceutical and alternative medicines closed at all levels of manufacturing, retailers, wholesalers, distributors to express solidarity with the martyred and the injured chemists and drugstores owners. In the same breath, PDCA Chief Coordinator Salahuddin said the chemist community would not hold negotiations with the government until the withdrawal of latest amendments to the drug law. It is learnt that chemists of Lahore wholesale market Lohari Medicine Market, and medical stores in front of mega hospitals and other busy thoroughfares of Lahore kept their businesses closed in protest against the amendments while taking cover of mourning on the tragic incident. Tens of thousands of patients were affected due to unavailability of medicines in the markets, while those medical stores that remained open on Tuesday were blamed to have been exploiting the consumers through overcharging in the sale of medicines.

The reports pouring in from other districts of Punjab also confirmed closure of medical stores, which rubbed salt in the wounds of patients. “Imagine if the pharmaceutical workers, chemists, medical stores owners’, injured in the bomb blast, do not get medicines timely, would these striking chemists still keep their medical stores closed,” questioned Asif Saeed, a patient wandering to get medicines on his prescription, and implored to the leaders of pharmaceutical business to keep their shops opened for 24 hours keeping in view the sensitivity of their profession.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique, PTI Chairman Imran Khan and a PPP delegation led by Qamar Zaman Kaira visited Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and inquired after the health of the injured due to Monday’s suicide blast in Lahore. Besides, PML-N leader Hamza Shahbaz visited Mayo Hospital to inquire after the health of injured patients.

The visit of these high-profile political leaders saw unprecedented security measures in the hospitals, which caused tremendous problems for the ordinary patients in these hospitals. The ordinary patients in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital were denied entry to the hospitals during the visit of these dignitaries.

The young doctors in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Mayo Hospital urged political leaders not to visit the hospitals in emergency circumstances as extraordinary security arrangements not only caused hurdles in provision of treatment to the patients, but also created difficulties for the doctors and hospitals’ staff to enter or exit the premises, whereas patients and their attendants face problems in getting quick access to the treatment in the hospitals.

Meanwhile, it is worth-mentioning here that a total of 67 injured patients of Monday’s bomb blast were under treatment in different hospitals of Lahore, whereas 16 patients were discharged from different hospitals after necessary treatment to their injuries. According to details, 39 patients were still admitted in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, 19 patients were under-treatment in Mayo Hospital and another nine patients were getting treatment in Services Hospital.