People compare healthcare facilities with road, infrastructure built by the govt. Photo: file
LAHORE: The one and the only so-called state-of-the-art burns unit facility in the provincial capital’s Jinnah Hospital has been turned into a cosmetic surgery unit, The Express Tribune has learnt.
After the horrific incident at Bahawalpur, which claimed scores of lives, several questions pertaining the facilities to treat burns victims remain unanswered. The outrageous response on social media by people has also raised many questions. Most of the citizens are discussing and comparing the present health facilities with road infrastructure build by the government. “Do we need metro or burns centre?” is the question being raised by people.
According to data provided by Rescue 1122, 3,390 incidents of fire have been recorded in Lahore alone during 2016 while there were 13,718 similar occurrences across Punjab. A total of 72 people have lost their lives while hundreds others have been crippled for life, according to Rescue 1122.
“The situation is the worst and even in the provincial capital, there is no facility to provide proper treatment to the patients of burn injuries,” said Safdar Shaheen Pirzada, an advocate of the High Court. He intends to file a petition against the Punjab health department after Eid over this issue.
“We will ask the government, why they have permitted the hospital authority to establish a cosmetic surgery unit at burns injury unit,” he said while talking to The Express Tribune. “In January 2015, the government inaugurated a 200-bed burns unit at Jinnah Hospital. Only 20 beds are functional while the rest of the beds are being used for ‘other purposes’.”
He said Lahore has a population of over 10 million and fire incidents occur frequently while there was no proper burns unit in the city. “How will they be able to establish health facilities in rural areas when they are still unable to provide even the basic facilities to the hospitals in the provincial capital?” he questioned.
“Hundreds of people have died as no facilities were available in Bahawalpur hospitals to treat burn victims. This is the worst example of negligence on part of a government,” he said.
According to him, the facilities at Mayo, Ganga Ram and Yakki Gate hospitals were also not in fully functional state and on the other hand in the entire province, there was no facility of children ward to specifically deal with children’s burn injuries.
“Just for showcase, they establish children’s burns unit at Mayo hospital, but it also lacks facilities,” he said, adding that “only placement of a board would not do work,” he said. “Instead of building roads, they should invest in the most-neglected sector of health,” he said.
A source at Jinnah hospital, on the condition of anonymity, said there were only four beds at Mayo Hospital to treat burns victims, while Yakki Gate Hospital has two and Ganga Raam Hospital burns ward was completely dysfunctional. “Who cares if the poor are dying?”
He said in all these hospitals there was a shortage of beds, limited resources and inadequate staff to cater the growing number of patients. “Not only Mayo Hospital but the burns unit at Jinnah also requires immediate expansion to tackle the growing number of burn injury cases as serious incidents are often referred to these facilities from across the province,” he said.
Government’s response
However, Dr Moazzam Tarrar, head of burns ward of Jinnah Hospital said the hospital has a state-of-the-art burns unit facility as 78 beds were fully functional, while 20 makeshift beds also have been placed in order to deal the patients of Bahawalpur incident.
He added that Jinnah Hospital’s burns unit was providing adequate facilities to the victims admitted to the facility.
The spokesman Punjab, health department further added “besides the Jinnah hospital facility, those at Mayo and Ganga Ram are also fully functional and treating patients.”
“Their claimed is totally irresponsible. The government is providing state of the art facility to victim of burn injuries,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 26th, 2017.
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