Govt to pay for TB meningitis patient’s treatment

Social media campaign brought Asma Khuwahar's case to notice

KARACHI: Taking a notice of a social media campaign, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari directed the Sindh government to bear all the expenses of a patient ailing from tuberculosis meningitis (TBM).

The social media campaign was initiated by activist Zulfiqar Qadri a few days before Eid, who heard about the case through his friends. He brought forward the 23-year-old Asma Khuwahar's story to the people.

Khuwahar, a student and part-time worker at a beauty salon in Larkana, has been bed-ridden for the past five months due to TBM. She was the bread earner for her family comprising her mother and younger brother and was unable to seek medical treatment due to financial constraints.

She is currently under treatment in the intensive care unit of the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), where she was admitted on Monday night.

Former social welfare minister Rubina Qaimkhani visited the patient and her family on behalf of Bilawal at the hospital on Tuesday and assured the family that the treatment expenses will be borne by the Sindh government.

The doctors at AKUH were unable to comment on the girl's condition. However, the attendants informed that doctors are waiting for the blood tests and MRI scan reports.

The patient's mother told The Express Tribune that she is now relaxed as her daughter is under treatment in a well-reputed hospital. She thanked everyone who ran the social campaign and appealed for the early recovery of her daughter.

Khuwahar's friend Saba Janwri said that they are now hopeful for her early recovery.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2016.