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KARACHI, Nov 7: Survivors of the October 8 earthquake are desperately waiting for more nurses to look after ailing quake victims even though a large number of doctors, physicians and surgeons are serving them.
This was stated by Dr Rafat Jan, a senior member of the Nursing Corpse of the Aga Khan University (AKU).
She said that a female nursing team had been dispatched by the AKU in response to an urgent request from the Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC).
She said that the AKU nurses were the first all-female team to reach the quake-hit areas.
She said that the nurses were working around-the-clock and each of them was doing a 13-hour duty at the Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) in Muzaffarabad as hundreds of patients needed medical care at a time.
Dr Jan recalled that there were countless cases where patients could benefit from sympathetic nursing care. She narrated a particular case of a six- year-old girl who was in the field with her father, when her only sister was buried under the rubble of a school.
“The girl lay there with her eyes closed and had not eaten for days but when one of the nurses kept on calling her name gently she opened her eyes and took a biscuit,” Dr Jan said, adding that the father was close to tears with gratitude.
TRAUMA CENTRE: A trauma centre is being established for quake victims by Karwan-i-Hayat Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Centre at its facility at the KPT Hospital.
Medical Superintendent of institution Dr Ajmal Kazmi said in a press statement here on Monday that comprehensive psychiatric treatment would be provided to the patients coming from quake-hit areas, adding that the free OPD and free in-patient facilities would be offered at the centre.
This would be complemented by all day-care facilities and all patients would be assessed and treated by a multi-disciplinary team of consultant psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers and community staff nurse.
The team would be headed by Dr Zafar Qureishi, Director of the Karwan-i-Hayat.
Dr. Kazmi, a senior psychiatrist, said the trauma centre at the KPT Hospital was being established on permanent basis where workshops and training sessions would be organized regularly for health care providers and volunteers.
Those interested may contact Ms Shamshad Bashir on phone number 2856773-5.
LPG CYLINDERS: The National Forum for Environment and Health on Monday appealed for donation of LPG cylinders which, it said, were badly needed in earthquake affected areas. The survivors required the item for use in cooking and for protection from cold weather, President of the forum Mohammad Naeem Qureshi said in a statement.
He estimated that about 150,000-200,000 gas cylinders would be required every month in addition to about 100,000 gas stoves.—APP/PPI
