Think you’ve been poisoned? Just call 0800 77767 to find out

From 2007 to 2010, 71.4% of patients brought to JPMC were suffering from chemical poisoning.

KARACHI:

As the number of patients arriving at Jinnah hospital for poisoning quadrupled, Prof. Jamal Ara, the head of the National Poison Control Centre at the hospital, felt it was time to write a book and launch a toll-free helpline.

While speaking at the book launch ceremony of ‘Increasing Poisoning Trends in Pakistan’, Prof. Ara said that the toll-free number (0800 77767) would help provide information about poisons, different kinds of poisonings and how to deal with them to the public and general practitioners all over the country. According to the professor, in 2007 there were 1,158 cases of poisoning reported at JPMC, including snake bites, in 2008 the figure increased to 1,257 then 1,217 in 2009, 2,789 in 2012 and 3,550 in 2011. She added that poisoning was the fourth most common cause of death in young people.

In her book, which is the first of its kind in the country, she claimed that there was something terribly wrong happening in society which we had failed to identify and rectify.

“Chemicals and drugs, animal bites, plants, heavy metals and such things are the main cause of poisoning,” she said. “There is a lack of awareness about harmful chemical substances and a need to label products, legislation and awareness campaigns which could provide information to everyone about what safety precautions to take.” She added that the risk of being poisoned today was high as there were chances of an accidental poisoning or it could be induced or a person could use poison for deliberate self harm. Prof. Ara’s research showed that the trend of Organophosphorous poisoning remained stagnant but there was a marked increase in drug overdose, kerosene, rat poisoning, Datura, opium and snakebites.

From 2007 to 2010, 71.4 per cent of patients who were brought to JPMC were suffering from chemical poisoning, the recovery rate was 93.6 per cent while the remained asked to be discharged against medical advice. The Faisalabad Poison Control Centre received 1,428 poison cases in 2003, including 789 patients who had swallowed wheat pills, ie aluminum phosphide.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2012.