Strike aftermath: Patients queue up as routine resumes

After doctors return to the wards, patients from far-flung areas heave a sigh of relief. stethoscope

ISLAMABAD:

In the aftermath of the young doctors’ strike, the waiting line for patients scheduled for operations has become longer. The appointments which had to be cancelled earlier due to the closure of outpatient and other departments of the city hospitals are now piling up on overburdened doctors.

Dr Asfandyar Khan, senior registrar at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) while talking to The Express Tribune said they have prolonged the hours of surgery per day  to deal with old cases which were not attended to during the strike.

“Before the strike, elective operations were conducted from 8am to 2pm. Now to overcome the burden, we have extended the time from 8am to 4pm,” he said.

Furthermore, they have asked the emergency department to extend their hours so that they can conduct extra operations to decrease the burden, he said.

Dr Anis Kausar, joint executive director Polyclinic Hospital said, “We have increased the number of surgeries per day in the hospital from routine days.”

Similar issues are surfacing in Rawalpindi, especially at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH) and Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH).

Talking to The Express Tribune, a senior doctor at HFH said during the young doctors’ strike, many patients whose surgeries were scheduled suffered a lot, especially the ones who came from far-flung areas. The majority were sent back home during the strike and were asked to come later.

“There were some surgeries which needed to be done as per schedule and a slight delay could result in a worsening condition,” he said.

Nasreen Azhar, a resident of Murree, had brought her mother-in-law to HFH for a surgery as she had a tumor.

“Her surgery was scheduled for the first week of March, but during doctors’ strike we had to take her back as all the operations were postponed,” she said.

“After hearing that the strike has been called-off, we have brought her here again w,” said Azhar.

“It is not easy for us to bear the transport cost and the health condition of my mother-in-law is also not favorable to travel again and again,” she said.

Mehboob Aslam, a resident of Taxila at Pims, said his younger brother injured his leg during an accident. His operation was scheduled in the third week of March.

“However, due to the strike, all operations were postponed and we took him back. Now his condition has deteriorated,” he said.

He further said, “We are poor and cannot afford private hospitals. The only thing we can do is pray for these doctors to come back from their strike.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2011.