Health woes of the people of Gojal
by Aazur
Karachi, February 9: Syed Ahmed Jan of Chipursan is one of the seven people injured in a road accident. All the injured were shifted to Gojal’s only hospital located at Gulmit, the Tehsil headquarter. Although some doctors were deputed by the health department at the hospital to deal with the emergency situation created by blockage of Karakuram Highway, their work is hampered by unavailability of basic medical equipments, including X – ray machine.
Six of the people injured in this accident were released from the hospital after getting firs aid, but Syed’s injuries require further examination and he has been referred to the doctors at a relatively better equipped hospital in Aliabad. Unfortunately, the helicopters have not been able to fly for more than five days because of deteriorating weather condition and Syed lies unattended at Gulmit.
Similar is the story of tens of other patients helplessly stranded in Gulmit and other villages of Gojal valley.
The announcements of Qamar Zaman Kaira and Syed Mehdi Shah seem to have vanished in the air, like the dust blown by the strong winds of Gojal. The chief minister of Gilgit – Baltistan had promised during his late visit to the region that an operation theater would be established at the hospital on emergency basis.
It seems that the standard action time to deal with an emergency situation in the case of Gilgit – Baltistan is longer than three weeks.
You are right Noor. Emergency needs to be defined to the higher authorities and they are actually wiating for more lives to be lost in order to understand what emergency is all about. It is just a show, every body comes, gives big statemetns and thinks that the emergency situation is over. What a pity. People have been crying in different corners but there is still a ‘wait and see’ policy which results not only in greater loss and frustration but also higher opportunity cost.
Sultan