KARACHI, Nov 19: Twenty-five-year-old Mukhtar was hit and injured by a passenger coach minutes before Iftar near the old Sabzimandi on Monday. The coach was travelling at high speed.
The injured man was rushed to Liaquat National Hospital (LNH). Doctors at the hospital said he was disoriented because of serious head injuries. Besides this and other injuries, his left arm was also fractured.
Witnesses said the injured man was not provided treatment by doctors at the LNH, as doctors said an amount of Rs10,000 had to be deposited before any treatment could be initiated for the injured man.
When the hospital management was asked why the hospital was not providing treatment to the injured man, Dr Shaukat Ali, medical administrator, said first aid had been given to the injured man.
“We have treated the bleeding points and provided cervical choler to him free of cost,” he said adding that since the patient had suffered head injuries, he needed a CT scan.
He said a CT scan cost Rs3,710 and nobody was willing to pay this fee for the patient. It was a private hospital where patients were charged for services and medicines. The patient could get a CT scan for free in a government hospital.
He said police had arrested the driver of the coach, and the injured man was brought to the hospital by area people and passersby.
Answering a question that the hospital could claim charges after giving treatment to the patient, the hospital administrator said Mukhtar’s relatives had come to the hospital, but they were undecided about whether to keep him here or take him to some other hospital.
Police reportedly arrested the driver of the Shama coach who tried to speed away after the accident.
The SHO PIB said the accident occurred at the New Town police station chowrangi, so all the formalities had been completed by the New Town police.
“We were later informed of the accident,” he added.
When New Town police station was contacted, a duty officer declined to comment saying that the accident occurred in the limits of PIB police.