Pending operation: For others, it is festivity this Eid, for Ali a broken jaw and a financial headache

First Pims had no available beds, now Ali’s family do not have enough money.

ISLAMABAD: For the 18-year-old Ehsan Ali, this Eidul Azha will be different from any he has celebrated till now with his family. Surviving on juices due to a broken jaw, he has been waiting for surgery since October 21, at first due to shortage of beds at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and now due to shortage of funds.

Ali was on his way to college on a motorcycle on October 21 when two women suddenly stepped on the road. He swerved, but the strap of one lady’s handbag got stuck in the bike’s handle, throwing him flat faced on the road, breaking his lower jaw and a few teeth.

His operation has been scheduled for November 5 now but his family are not sure how they will arrange for the operation costs. His mother said, “My son is in unbearable pain, I am praying day and night for his operation as seven other lives depend on him.” Ali is the sole breadwinner for his family.

His uncle, Mushtaq, said he was first taken to the Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry (AFID) in Rawalpindi who referred him to Pims due to his critical injuries. “We rushed him to the emergency ward of Pims at about 1:40 pm; after initial treatment his surgery was scheduled for October 24, which [was declared] a public holiday [due to Nusrat Bhutto’s death],” Mushtaq added. Later when he was taken to the hospital on October 27 to reschedule the operation as there was no bed available in the surgical ward. His uncle said Ali was brought back home but he was unable to sleep due to intense pain in his jaw.

“The only way to reduce Ali’s pain was immediate surgery but the Pims administration has kept him waiting,” said Ali’s uncle Muhammad Mushtaq while talking to The Express Tribune.

While they were able to get Ali admitted to the hospital on October 31 after using references, the family is unable to afford the medicines required for the operation.

Ali, the eldest of six siblings, is the sole breadwinner of his family. His father passed away when he was a kid; since then, he has been studying and doing a part time job in the evening. He is a resident of Dhok Syeda, Rawalpindi.

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Pims officials said eight beds are allotted for oral surgery patients, two in the children’s ward and six in the general ward. Thus, majority of patients, even those who come from far-flung places such as Azad Jummu and Kashmir and Jhelum, are sent back due to unavailability of beds.

Pims Executive Director was not available for a comment despite repeated attempts.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th,  2011.