No help when needed

Ishtiaq Ahmed could not receive any medical attention in the last minutes of his life at the Jinnah Terminal

KARACHI: Ishtiaq Ahmed died of a heart attack on Tuesday while he was waiting to board a flight to Lahore at the Karachi airport. What people do not know is that the writer of national fame could not receive any medical attention in the last minutes of his life as there was no doctor available at the Jinnah Terminal at the time.

Ahmed complained of shortness of breath minutes before he boarded the Shaheen Airline plane and when he complained of chest pain, the attending air hostess at the gate asked him to lie down on the sofa in the departure lounge.

A call went out for a doctor who arrived after half an hour without any equipment, which was provided another 10 minutes later. By that time, Ahmed had passed away. All the ASF and CAA staff could do was crowd around the dying man, thereby suffocating him further.

Children books author Ishtiaq Ahmed passes away

The inefficiency of the ASF and CAA staff, both of whom are trained in emergency procedures, was evident from the fact that no one came to help the man in his last moments. A stretcher, damaged and torn, appeared an hour after the death.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2015.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.