Caught unprepared?: 85 new patients admitted to STH

Patients say government’s efforts to curb the outbreak are not enough.

MINGORA: Another 85 patients were admitted to Saidu Teaching Hospital (STH) on Thursday.

According to STH spokesperson Dr Wasil Ahmed, 3,035 patients have recovered with 76 patients discharged from the hospital on Thursday. “Presently, 242 patients including 17 children, 164 men and 61 women are hospitalised.”



He further added 30 patients were being treated in the Intensive Care Unit, while one patient was referred to the Lady Reading Hospital.

Meanwhile, the total count of patients affected by dengue in the entire district has climbed to 6,522, with 4,477 and 2,045 men and women, respectively.

Majority of people in Swat are not happy with the steps the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government is taking to tackle the epidemic.

“The arrangements to curb the virus in Saidu Teaching Hospital are not satisfactory. They have not even provided seating arrangements for patients who wait for their turn outside the laboratory,” said a patient, Mohammad Aslam.



Similarly, family members of patients at the dengue cell also complained when MNA Murad Saeed from NA-29 visited STH for the first time. Ahmed then assured people their issues will be redressed and the outbreak curbed.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 27^th, 2013.