Public sector hospitals in the twin cities have witnessed a sharp decline in the inflow of people seeking medical care over the last two weeks.
The reason behind this unexpected fall is not, however, an improvement in public health, but fear of arrest under Maintenance of Public Order and the inconvenience of roadblocks amid the uncertain political situation in the capital, sources at hospitals said.
“The number of outpatients at District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) has significantly declined in the last two weeks,” Causality Medical Officer Dr Arshad Nazir told The Express Tribune.
He said the number of patients has dropped almost 20 per cent in the wake of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) sit-ins and subsequent developments.
Holy Family Hospital, which is the largest public sector hospital in Rawalpindi division, treats patients from the twin cities and also northern parts of the country. It has also seen a decline in patient numbers over the last two weeks.
Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) Causality Medical Officer Dr Rana Abbas, however, said that the number of patients has increased in the hospital due to the temporary closure of several private hospitals and clinics in the wake of the prevailing political situation.
He said that roadblocks and barricades at entry and exit points near Islamabad were the main reasons behind the concentration of patients at the hospital. He said that the BBH covers a large area stretching from Saddar Baruini to Faizabad, Sadiqabad and adjoin areas.
Dr Abbas also said that the hospital has witnessed 20 per cent increase in outpatients in the last 15 days.
Meanwhile, sources at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad said that the number of patients dropped significantly in the first 10 days after the PTI and PAT marchers arrived in the capital, but the figure had slowly begun normalising after the local administration removed roadblocks. The sources added that the hospital was still on alert due to the uncertain political situation.
Muhammad Shabbir, who hailed from Muzaffarabad, said that due to roadblocks and precarious political situation in the capital, he had to wait for more than a week to bring his mother, a heart patient, to Pims. He said that he was still uncertain how things will turn around.
Asghar Shabbir, who hailed from Attock, said that he had to wait for days before visiting Pims for a postoperative check-up as he was unsure of how he would get in and out of the capital.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 31st, 2014.
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