KARACHI, Oct 20: Sixteen more survivors of the Oct 8 quake, including five needing dialysis, were admitted to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and Civil Hospital Karachi on Thursday.
A batch of five earthquake survivors, including a woman, from the northern parts of the country was brought to the city by the SIUT for comprehensive treatment, including dialysis.
A spokesman for the SIUT said on Thursday that all the five needed specialized care. Besides providing medical treatment, the aim of bringing these quake victims to Karachi was their psychological rehabilitation as well at a centre being shaped up specially under the institute, added the spokesman, saying that about 100 crush victims can be accommodated in the centre.
The batch in question is first of its kind, which arrived on board a PIA flight under special arrangements. A medical mission of the SIUT is already working in the quake-hit areas, under the leadership of its director Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi.
The patients admitted to the SUIT are: Saima Iftikhar (Balakot), Imran Ahmed (Muzaffarabad), Mohammad Nazeer (Kewai, Balakot), Manazir Aziz (Balakot) and Mohammad Zaheer (Balakot).
Saima, a housewife, was in bed with her three and a half years old son who died in her arms at the time of the quake. She was rescued five to six hours later and taken to a hospital where she lost another child she was pregnant with, and now has been brought to Karachi in need of dialysis treatment. She is in immense shock even now, said a SIUT communication.
Imran, a student of geology engineering in Muzaffarabad, lived in a private room with two others. He was caught underneath the collapsed roof. One of his roommates died in the debris while another managed to get help to remove Imran from the debris some six to seven hours after the quake.
His father and uncle carried Imran for three hours uphill and then transported him to Abottabad. Later, he was given dialysis by the SIUT team and is now shifted to Karachi.
Nazeer, 27, was trapped under debris of his house at Kewai, some 27 miles from Balakot. After the quake nearby labourers rescued him and later was picked up by a helicopter for Mansehra and then to Abottabad on Monday where he was given immediate treatment by the SIUT team.
Manazir a young bakery worker of the Balakot city was at work when the disaster occurred. He was rescued and taken to Mansehra by the first available helicopter and later was shifted to Abottabad where the SIUT team gave him dialysis treatment due to renal failure.
Zaheer, another young man of Balakot was caught while running out of another bakery he worked in, during which half of his body was caught inside. Fire from the oven and weight of the debris affected his legs. “He is not only in need of dialysis treatment but his legs needs to be amputated as well” said a SIUT communication.
In the meantime, some more patients evacuated from the quake-hit areas, mostly with multiple injuries, were brought to the JPMC and Civil Hospital Karachi on Thursday.
Dr Seemin Jamali, deputy director of the JPMC, giving details of the patients said that with these new 7 admissions made on Thursday, the tally of patients coming from the quake-hit areas, including Bagh, Azad Kashmir, Balakot and Mansehra reached to 20.
One Rukhsana, 23, from Balakot, with ankle-joint injury, was admitted to the orthopaedic ward. Taimur, 12, from Muzaffarabad, with both knees’ joints injures was also admitted.
A six-year-old Rimsha Bibi whose left fore-arm has been injured came from Bagh, while Abdul Waheed, 35, with foot and ankle joint’s injury, came from Swab.
Zohra Taj, 35, from Balakot got her leg fractured. Ateeq, 35, of Muzafarabad, was admitted for knee-joint injury treatment, while Shamida, 40, for fractured arm. All the patients were brought by their relatives, Dr Seemin said.
At the CHK, a total of four patients was brought, out of which one Ramsha,3, d/o Abdul Wahab, who had got her left leg fractured was discharged after treatment.
Rubina, 20, of Bagh, was brought to the CHK around 1.30pm on Thursday, with paraplegia. The lower part of her body has been paralysed and she has been admitted to the neurosurgery department, Dr Tariq Kamal, in-charge of Accidents and Emergency, CHK said.
One Gulnaz, 24, from Balakot, was admitted for treatment of injuries. Shoaib, 15, was brought from Balakot and sent to the neurosurgery dept, but he left the hospital after sometime, said the doctor.