BAHAWALPUR: The closure of the Government Civil Hospital on Jhangiwali Road for the indoor and outdoor patients has burdened the Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) -- the only teaching hospital in the district.

The civil hospital evacuated hundreds of patients on Monday amid the protest of the doctors, paramedical staff and the evacuated patients as the government announced the reservation of hospital for the treatment of coronavirus patients including those coming from Iran.

According to the BVH doctors of emergency ward, about 5,000 patients seek emergency treatment daily from the the BVH casualty ward while their number increased manifold in a day creating numerous problems for the medics and paramedical staff.

Dr Muhammad Aslam, additional medical superintendent (AMS), said the BVH could not admit the serious patients as its own patients were already in high number and were being treated in all the indoor wards. In addition, he said, the BVH would not be able to carry out the operations of the patients in accordance with its lists and the surgeons would have to accommodate the serious patients on a priority.

Meanwhile, Ahmedpur East THQ hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Aurangzeb asked the general public to remain indoors to avoid public contact. He said if any person was attacked by flu, he or she should contact hospital doctors over telephone.

The city remained in the grip of panic as the six hostels of the Islamia University (IUB) evacuated the other day were prepared by the local administration to serve as quarantine centres for the pilgrims coming from Iran.

According to Divisional Commissioner Asif Iqbal Chaudhry, the Iran pilgrims (around 1,500 expected from Taftan border in Balochistan within days) would be lodged in the university hostels for two weeks or so. In case of detection of coronavirus, they would be shifted to the civil hospital for treatment.

Deputy Commissioner Shozeb Saeed at a meeting finalised the arrangements for the boarding and lodging of Iran pilgrims in the hostels.

In another development, High Court Bar Association president Raja Sohail Iftikhar said a two-member Bahawalpur bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) after hearing the writ petition challenging the arrival/lodging of Iran pilgrims in the university’s six hostels serving as quarantine centres on Tuesday referred the writ petition to LHC’s principal seat of Lahore.

The LHC Bahawalpur Bench comprising Justice Muhammad Shahid Jamil and Justice Muhammad Sajid Mehmood referred the writ petition to the full bench of the LHC and fixed its hearing on Friday there. The petitioners and the respondents including divisional commissioner and others appeared before the bench.

The bench gave conditional permission and ordered that unless the coronavirus testing kits would be available in Bahawalpur, no patient could be shifted here.

The Bar Association announced three-day strike to protest against the closure of the civil hospital for patients and the declaration of six university hostels as quarantine centres for Iran pilgrims.

The district police also announced closure of khidmat centres of Bahawalpur, Ahmedpur East and Hasilpur for an indefinite period. The mobile khidmat centres would continue to serve the applicants.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2020