Acid Crimes: For victims, an ambulance of hope

ISLAMABAD:

Acid attack victims in Pakistan lack transport facilities to reach hospitals in time for lifesaving treatment. To facilitate them, an “Ambulance of Hope” was given to the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) on Saturday.

The key to the ambulance was handed over to the ASF by French Ambassador Philippe Thiebaud.

Professor Hamid Hassan from the surgical unit of Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi said most acid throwing incidents take place in far-flung areas where people are already deprived of public transport facility.

To move an acid attack victim, they must hire air conditioned transport, which many can’t afford. Besides this, the victims have to walk long distances to avail the facility.

He said due to this problem, hospitals receives 8-9 hours after the attack, which further complicates the treatment.

To-date, the hospital has received 700 acid victims, 450 of whom were treated. Most of the victims were female, with some as young as four years, while 10% were male.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2012.