The Sindh government needs to urgently provide quality healthcare across the province
KARACHI: Sindh has been hit by an epidemic of XDR Typhoid, a new type of typhoid that is resistant to most antibiotics. Typhoid spreads through unhygienic conditions, such as dirty water, open sewers, and through food. Out of the total cases reported in the past few months, 69% were reported in Karachi, with Hyderabad seeing 27% and the remaining parts of Sindh seeing 4%. Due to its large population, Karachi has become the prime victim of this life-threatening disease. Moreover, the city’s caretaking has long been abandoned, as none of the roads and open sewers are being repaired. The entire city is littered with garbage which is disposed of improperly, creating a breeding ground for germs.
However, what is most alarming is that the outbreak started in interior Sindh and now the majority of the cases are found in Karachi. Doctors say majority of the patients hail from interior Sindh and are admitted to hospitals in Karachi because of lack of health facilities in their home towns. This severe shortfall adds even more burden on the hospitals and doctors in Karachi, which are already straining due to the city’s large population.
The Sindh government needs to urgently tackle this issue and provide quality healthcare across the province to reduce the burden on Karachi’s hospitals and also contain diseases.
Amna Ameen
Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2019.
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