ISLAMABAD: An operation on a six-year-old hearing impaired child on Thursday, carried out at the Capital Hospital on special directions from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, exposed the weakness of the country’s healthcare system.

The prime minister and his daughter Maryam Nawaz came across the girl at a function at the Islamabad Model College for Boys F-8/4 last month. The girl was brought there from the Special Education for Hearing Impaired Children. The prime minister ordered the treatment of the little girl at the government expense.

The Prime Minister Officer later allocated Rs2.3 million and a medical board, comprising ENT specialist Dr Jawad Ahmed, surgeon Dr Ghulam Saqlain, audiologist Dr Irfan Ahmed and others, was constituted for the purpose.

Dr Jawad, who is the chairman of the medical board, told Dawn that the Capital Hospital received directions from the PM Office to operate upon the special child.

“The medical board fixed a cochlear implant after a surgery of almost two hours. After implanting, we tested the device and found it working and then switched it off. Now we will switch it on again after a month,” he said.

A cochlear implant is an electronic device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make the sounds louder, a cochlear implant does the work of damaged parts of the inner ear to provide sound signals to the brain.

Dr Jawad said after a month the child would be able to hear and start learning a language. The services of a speech therapist will be provided to the child so that she can learn the language as soon as possible.

He said so far eight patients had been provided the cochlear implants at Capital Hospital.

However, a doctor at the hospital, requesting anonymity, said though it was a very positive decision to treat a child it exposed the health system of the country.

“In a kingship all decisions and facilities revolve around the king. In this case, the child was treated only after the prime minister lifted her in his lap because of her cuteness, and directed for her treatment,” he said.

“There are thousands of children in the special education centres and in the country. The child’s father is an auto-mechanic and lives in Bhara Kahu. He would never have got his daughter treated had the prime minister not issued the directions. There should be a proper mechanism to treat thousands of other special children,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2017