Hospitals put off surgeries in wake of PTI rally

Patients given long and extended dates for much-needed operations

RAWALPINDI:

The surgical procedures of 67 patients scheduled for November 26 [Saturday] could not be performed in the three government hospitals of the garrison city due to the arrangements for dealing with any expected emergency in wake of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) power show on Murree Road.

Sources said patients are given four to six months extended dates for surgery, orthopaedic, gynaecology and urology operations in the public health facilities due to their limited capacity.

The sources said that the postponed surgical procedures will now be performed on future dates which will also affect future schedules.

It should be noted that due to the decision to turn Murree Road into a political venue for the PTI’s long march, the Rawalpindi deputy commissioner had issued an emergency alert at the Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, the District Headquarters Hospital and the Holy Family Hospital to ensure availability of medical treatment facility for the patients brought to these hospitals in case of emergency.

The medical superintendents of the three allied hospitals postponed all operations scheduled for November 26 along with other arrangements in their hospitals and a schedule was implemented to keep the operation theatres of these hospitals empty under the emergency alert.

The patients waiting for an operation in various wards were informed that their operations will not be performed today. However, such patients were not given the future dates for the operations.

At this, the patients, who had already received an advance operation date four to six months earlier, had to face a disturbing situation.

The patients have been given assurance that their operations would be performed as soon as possible.

It has become quite difficult to adjust the postponed operations in the future schedule in the three hospitals because the average number of surgeries performed every day in other wards apart from the emergency department in a hospital is 15 to 20, and before each operation, the fitness process of the operation is also completed.

On the other hand, when contacted, Benazir Bhutto General Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Tahir Rizvi said that a new schedule will be prepared to adjust the operations that have been postponed with the scheduled operations in future dates and every effort will be made to carry out the postponed surgical procedures as soon as possible.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th, 2022.