JPMC staff to reside inside hospital during Ashura

Private, public vehicles and rickshaws not allowed to park near hospitals.

KARACHI:

Arrangements have been made for the staff to reside inside the hospital premises during Ashura, said Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre accident and emergency incharge Dr Seemin Jamali on Saturday.

“Instead of sending the staff home and then calling them back, we have made arrangements for them to stay in the hospital’s premises.” She added that she had also requested the government for further deployment of police and Rangers within the hospital. “We are concerned about the security of our patients and paramedical staff. So in order to prevent any riot-like situation or worse, we have requested for more security at the hospital.”

In the wake of suspected terrorist attacks on Ashura, government hospitals situated near the route of the procession are not only on high alert to deal with any emergency, but have also taken up their own measures for safety.

The series of bomb blasts since the beginning of Muharram has triggered security alarms at government hospitals. The 2010 blast in the parking lot of Jinnah hospital, is a constant reminder to hospitals that they are also vulnerable.



Keeping these incidents in view, no private or public vehicle is allowed to park in the vicinity of Civil Hospital, Karachi, which is situated near the Ashura procession on MA Jinnah Road. Ambulances carrying patients would go out from the hospitals once they dropped them.

Rickshaws that are commonly seen loitering around the premises were told to move out from the area. Motorcycles were also banned from the hospitals.

Moreover, doctors at the emergency department remained on duty, while all five medico-legal officers of the hospitals were also present. A medico-legal officer of the Civil hospital, Dr Abdul Haq, told The Express Tribune that they were all present in case a blast took place. “There is already a shortage of medico-legal officers in the hospital, so all of us would be on duty for the next two days,” said Haq. He added that the hospital ‘lacked’ arrangements to bring in female doctors for duty in the current situation, so only male doctors would be available.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2012.