Stroke centre starts lifesaving operations

Offers critical treatment to stroke patients within 4 hours to prevent permanent disabilities at HFH

RAWALPINDI:

The Stroke Centre, which has been recently shifted from Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology (RIC) to Holy Family Hospital (HFH), has started functioning, saving patients, within four hours of the stroke, from lifelong and permanent disabilities.

The centre provides injections to dissolve blood clots in the brain within four hours of the attack to prevent lifelong disability. During a stroke, the patient loses his balance, starts getting dizzy and his eyesight is affected to such an extent that he faces difficulty in seeing and everything looks blurry.

The patient's face 'droops' on one side, and lifting arms and legs becomes difficult. Speech is also heavily affected, making it hard to communicate. In such situations, it's crucial to rush the patient to a hospital promptly, for which the Rescue 1122 ambulance service can be utilised.

Health experts opine that if a patient does not receive the injection at the stroke centre within three to four hours, he/she may face a prolonged recovery process requiring extensive treatment. However, with timely administration of the injection, the patient quickly recovers from the stroke effects. The Medical Superintendent (MS) of Holy Family Hospital, Dr Ijaz Butt says the stroke centre, shifted to Holy Family Hospital from the RIC on the instructions of the Punjab government, is providing injections used for stroke attacks and necessary medicines. Expert doctors have been deployed at the stroke centre, he adds.

Patients' ordeal

After suffering a stroke on Tuesday night, Rahat Mehmood of Rawalpindi Cantt was initially taken to the RMC's emergency ward from where he was referred to Benazir Bhutto General Hospital (BBH) for a CT scan. The scan was performed on the patient late at night but no senior doctor was available to examine the patient. Rahat was then referred to Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital Raja Bazaar, with the hospital's officials claiming that a large neurosurgery department would treat the patient.

The patient's family was told at Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital Raja Bazaar that the CT scan machine was out-of-order, so they should get the CT scan done again from Benazir Bhutto Hospital. In the entire process, the doctors of the three hospitals didn't send the patient to Holy Family Hospital for the necessary injection on time, subscribed some necessary medication and sent him home.

Speaking to the Daily Express Tribune, Shahid Mahmood Malik, the patient's elder brother, questioned why his brother was not referred there by the three government hospitals if Holy Family Hospital had a functional stroke centre in place. He lamented that a young man would now face a long-term battle with stroke recovery due to the delay and negligence on the part of government hospitals.