PIMS treats over 5,000 patients during Eid holidays

Islamabad: The accidents and emergency department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences received significant burden of patients from ‘Chand Raat’, Friday to the third day of Eidul Fitr, Monday as outpatient department of the hospital was not operational during Eid holidays.

PIMS emergency department received well over 5000 from Friday to the third day of Eid of which as many as 1250 patients reached hospital with complaints of gastroenteritis including the patients with vomiting, diarrhoea and pain in abdomen along with fever, said Deputy Director at PIMS Dr. Waseem Ahmed Khawaja while talking to ‘The News’.

He however added that the hospital had to admit only two per cent of the patients reaching hospital with complaints of gastro in emergency ward while the rest were discharged after necessary first aid treatment.

According to Dr. Khawaja, the registration of greater number of patients with gastroenteritis does not signify an outbreak of the disease instead it was so because most of the private clinics and hospitals were not operating their OPDs on Eid holidays. He said majority of gastroenteritis patients reported at PIMS were not serious, however, he said the PIMS received as many as 450 cases of road traffic accidents during Eid holidays.

Almost all RTA cases were of motorcyclists who reached hospital after sustaining moderate to serious head injuries, he said. He added that 10 of the RTA victims had to undergo major surgical procedures at PIMS during Eid holidays and neurosurgeons and general surgeons performed the surgeries.

The neurosurgical department had to admit as many as five of these patients because of serious head injuries, said Dr. Khawaja. He said the number of trauma cases remained high from ‘Chand Raat’ to the first day of Eidul Fitr mainly because of road traffic accidents involving activities of wheelie performers or rash driving by motorcyclists.

He added that well over 3000 cases reported during Eid holidays at PIMS emergency department were of OPD nature including diabetics, patients with hypertension but not in critical condition and patients with fever and other mild to moderate ailments.