Gastroenteritis outbreak in Sukkur

Lack of hygiene at Civil Hospital is adding to the menace.

SUKKUR: More than three dozen children were brought to different hospitals in Sukkur and surrounding areas on Thursday due to the outbreak of gastroenteritis.

Around one dozen children were brought to Civil Hospital, Sukkur, where lack of hygiene is further aggravating the situation. Another couple of patients have been admitted in Taluka Hospital, Rohri.

Like every year, the advent of summer leads to an outbreak of gastroenteritis in the city and adjoining areas. Infant Sanaullah was brought from Locoshed Rohri. According to the duty nurse, he was in a critical condition. His mother said that while she was satisfied with the treatment being provided to her son, the unhygienic conditions and the suffocation in the ward was quite irksome.

Empty bottles of juices and water, surgical tape and pieces of papers were littered across the ward and while its floor was stained with dirt. Seven-month-old Farman's mother also complained about the unhygienic conditions, especially in the children's ward.

When asked about the lack of hygiene in the children's ward, the duty nurse shrugged off responsibility and said that the doctor in charge should be asked about it. Despite repeated attempts, incharge Dr Bahawal Jamro was not available for his comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2015.