‘Motorbikes, rickshaws causing disabilities due to broken roads’

KARACHI: Frequent travel on the broken roads of Karachi following weeks of monsoon rains is resulting in permanent disabilities among young motorcyclists as well as those who commute in rickshaws, health experts said on Wednesday, and advised motorcyclists and commuters to take care of their health until the road infrastructure is improved in the city.

Addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club, rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons and other specialists warned that if the issue of the city’s deteriorating infrastructure is not addressed immediately, the growing complaints of chronic back pain, mainly among young motorcyclists, can become an epidemic among Karachiites. Citing recent data and study, they claimed that the growing challenge of backache, damage to vertebrae and repetitive injuries to spinal cords among Karachiites is affecting not only the quality of life of motorcyclists but also the health of women, and in many cases they have lost their pregnancies or given premature births.

“The government needs to address this road infrastructure issue immediately before it’s too late,” said Pak-American Arthritis Centre (PAAC) Managing Director Dr Saliha Ishaq. “I’m monitoring these cases very closely. I see that among more than 70 per cent of the people complaining of back pain are those who are motorcyclists.”

She added: “They’re mostly youngsters. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease in which the immune system of a person attacks the healthy cells in their body by mistake, causing inflammation in the affected parts of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once.” Dr Tabe Rasool of the Dow University of Health Sciences described how the deteriorating roads, the poor quality of motorbikes and the random speed humps are directly causing lifetime ailments, mainly for motorcyclists. “There are discs between human vertebrae. Over these discs there are blood vessels. Repetitive injuries due to these broken roads and infrastructures badly damage the vertebrae alignment, which leads to different and serious issues, including severe pain commonly called Arqun Nisa and spinal cord arthritis.” He added: “These repetitive injuries sometimes lead to lifetime issues. So, it’s time to act now. There’s a three-pronged solution: fix the road infrastructure, ensure quality motorbike production and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

The experts said that not only motorcyclists but also women travelling in rickshaws have been suffering from lower back pain due to strain and injuries they suffer due to the broken roads. They urged the authorities to launch an immediate drive to repair all the main and branch roads across the city to prevent young men and women from permanent disabilities due to the dilapidated condition of the roads in the city.

“We as health professionals are very much concerned, and to address this growing challenge, we have launched a free telehealth service for all those who face these problems,” said rheumatologist Dr Tahir Parveen. “At PAAC, in collaboration with the Ehad Medical Centre, which is treating such patients at its 20 centres across Karachi, we have launched a UAN [021-111-113-423] where patients with such complaints can get free consultancy. We guide them about treatment and give them immediate possible remedies.”