APS tragedy surviving kids face cold response at Mayo

LAHORE: The students of Army Public School, Peshawar, who have been referred for treatment of post-trauma complications at Mayo Hospital, Lahore, have received another shock in what they called cold response from administrative high-ups of the hospital. The students have been going through a psychological trauma and various other mental and physical complications after the deadliest terrorist attack on December 16, 2014, which left nearly 150 students as well as teachers martyred, leaving many others injured and disabled and almost all remaining under a constant psychological trauma. “The administration of Mayo Hospital has denied formation of a medical board, despite assurance by Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Punjab, Kh Imran Nazir, for proper treatment and rehabilitation of the students or recommendation for their treatment abroad, whereas a DMS Dr Noor has also misbehaved with the students,” said Qaiser Ali, coordinator of the visiting 23 students from class IV to class XII, who arrived in Lahore on June 17, 2015, for treatment and rehabilitation of these affected students. Besides, 10 parents are also accompanying these students.
The guardians of the visiting students and administration of Mayo Hospital have locked horns over formation of a medical board, as the former opined that if a medical board was constituted it would help in proper treatment of these traumatized patients and it may also recommend treatment abroad for those students, whose was not available in Pakistan, while the latter claimed that there was no need to constitute a medical board as they were being properly looked after, but parents and guardian of these students were insisting just to make ground for sending them abroad.
While talking to The News, Qaiser Ali, whose nephew was martyred in the attack, said traumatic condition of students has forced them to run from pillar to post to get the required treatment, but treatment of these students could not succeed in hospitals of Peshawar as well as in Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi. “The Aga Khan Hospital’s psychiatrists Dr Tania and Dr Ayesha Mian have referred the children to Mayo Hospital in Lahore and King Edward Medical University’s Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Faisal Masood and Mayo Hospital’s psychiatrist Dr Nazish Imran also assured them to provide best possible treatment to them,” he said, adding they had spent up to three months in Karachi for their treatment. He said arms of two students were not recovering owing to inappropriate treatment received so far, fingers of two others were not functioning, while two students may ultimately turn deaf if proper treatment was not provided to them. He said treatment of these children was available in the USA and Germany. “My one nephew, Nafeh of class IV requires head surgery,” he said, while showing unwillingness to conduct the surgery in Pakistan. He stated that a student, Ishaq Amin, with similar condition was martyred three months after the terrorist attack, adding that they didn’t want to take any risk by conducting his operation in Pakistan. He also made it clear that they didn’t want to put any financial burden on the Punjab government for these patients’ treatment abroad, saying they would either request federal government or the KP government for their treatment abroad on the recommendation of a medical board. “We have come to Lahore on our own expenses,” he said, however added Punjab government had provided accommodation to them. He dispelled the impression that they wanted all these patients to be sent abroad.
When contacted, Mayo Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Amjad Shahzad said the students had been warmly received by the administration despite arriving here without any prior intimation, adding all the diagnostic tests had been completed and final recommendations will be issued individually to the students in a couple of days. He said the affected children were being properly looked after as Prof Dr Aftab Asif and his team was providing psychiatric treatment, Prof Dr Mansoor Baseer Pal was giving treatment for ENT complications, Prof Dr Muhammad Awais and his team was giving treatment for orthopaedic injuries and medical emergency’s team was taking care of medical complaints of the patients. Besides, he said, Physiotherapy Department was applying physiotherapy upon the students for proper rehabilitation. When asked about guardian’s complaint of denying the students a medical board, the MS said that board was not constituted on any one’s desire, saying there was proper procedure for formation of the board that also involved the government. He said there was no emergency as all the students were at rehabilitation stage and were recovering fast, adding the parents and guardians were insisting formation of a board as they wanted to send the students abroad. Parliamentary Secretary Kh Imran Nazir said Punjab government had given full protocol to the students despite no prior intimation just on the basis of their claim that KPK government had talked to the Punjab government for their treatment in Lahore. “We have arranged accommodation, food, transportation and security for the APS students and also giving treatment in Mayo Hospital to the affected patients,” he said, adding APS students were nation’s heroes, who confronted terrorists with unmatched bravery. He said at least 75 per cent treatment was complete and remaining 25 per cent treatment will also be provided to them without any problem.
When asked about formation of the board for them, he said they wanted a couple of their patients to be treated abroad, which will also be fulfilled.