ISLAMABAD, Oct 22: Pakistan on Saturday turned down requests to shift abroad those injured in the October 8 earthquake, saying the country has adequate medical facilities to treat all the victims.
“All possible medical aid is being provided to the affectees and all kind of surgical procedures are being performed in different hospitals and health facilities within the country,” said Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan in reply to offers by different quarters to shift the patients abroad.
During a meeting of the Disaster Management Coordination Committee, the minister was informed that vaccination had been started in the quake-hit areas to ward off the threat of cholera epidemic.
This is being done in addition to measles, tetanus and polio vaccination provided to the affected people. Young children in the affected areas are also being provided vitamin-A drops to fortify their defence against diseases in view of their low immunity level in the prevailing circumstances.
He reiterated government’s decision not to allow adoption of orphaned children and said their care was the responsibility of the government.
He lauded the contribution of medical teams from different parts of the country who were engaged in the relief efforts and said 34 international medical teams were assisting the health ministry through 17 field hospitals in the quake-stricken areas.
Secretary Health Syed Anwar Mehmood informed the meeting that a blood bank had been established in district Bagh while another would soon start working in Rawlakot.
Meanwhile, 125 injured patients from the quake-hit areas were registered with different hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Saturday.
The health minister distributed 12 wheelchairs among the injured patients on behalf of the employees of Pims.
A spokesman for the Federal Government Services Hospital said a total of 1,269 patients had been received, of whom 414 were operated upon.
Out of the 1,269 patients, 538 were from Bagh and Rawlakot, 546 from Muzaffarabad and 140 from Mansehra and Balakot.
A Reporter Adds: Over 150 earthquake-affected people admitted to a hospital on the premises of the National Institute of Health are facing problems due to shortage of doctors and nurses, absence of volunteers and other facilities.
As many as 26 injured but stable children are admitted to the 40-bed Satellite Hospital of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences at the NIH in Chak Shehzad.
“Food is enough and they (doctors) take good care of our children, but there is a shortage of medicines,” said a man staying with his injured daughter. A woman complained about unavailability of telephone facility.
“We have to go out to a far away public phone booth even for making a call to our relatives in the city,” said Aftaj Bibi from Muzaffarabad.
However, the in charge of the hospital, Dr Ghazala, described the allegation of shortage of medicines as baseless and presented some other problems. “We have got all the required medicines in sufficient quantity and children are being treated properly.”
She said more nurses and doctors were needed. “There is only one ambulance at our disposal for bringing patients and medicines from Pims and dropping them at other temporary relief camps.”
Dr Ghazala said an injured child with all his family members were shifted to the house of a citizen who wanted to provide them temporary shelter at her CDA flat.