My relative suffered a cardiac arrest in the afternoon on April 14 at 3.15 PM at his residence in DHA. He was quickly taken to the nearest hospital, regarded as one of the best private hospitals in the city. He should have treated for his heart condition and blood pressure but a new trend has started in hospitals due to the ongoing pandemic.
No matter what disease the patient is suffering from, whether he is in an emergency situation and his life is at risk, doctors and paramedical staff conduct a coronavirus test before starting any treatment. Whether the patient is suffering from a heart condition, blood pressure, brain haemorrhage, severe pneumonia or any other disease, this is the first step when a patient is brought to the emergency department of a private hospital.
Several private hospitals that have opened OPDs do not have the facility to conduct coronavirus tests but insist that it should be conducted before treatment. The patient is compelled to visit other hospitals just to conduct a test, even though he is not suffering from the disease. Those with the facility proceed with conducting the test while the patient keeps on suffering and even succumbs from other ailments.
The protocol for the killer coronavirus disease also took the life of my dear friend, Kamran Ansari, who was taken to a well-known private hospital located in Clifton after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was placed in quarantine as hospital staff rushed to conduct a coronavirus test. During this time, his blood pressure level suddenly increased and before his family members raised their voice and he was catered to, it was too late for him.
Kamran Ansari was one of the leading figures in the freight-forwarding sector in the country. His services were known in Karachi, Middle East and many other countries. He started his career in 1990 and worked with a shipping company in Dubai during 1997. He moved to UAE in 2005 and set up a logistics company that has over 400 employees today. He was a former chairman of the Pakistan Freight Forwarding Association and Pakistan Shipping Association and was associated with several companies along with being the head of his own firm. The new frenzy to conduct coronavirus testing has deprived us of such an esteemed personality.
His death is not an isolated incident. Another friend, who was presented in Kamran’s funeral, narrated a similar harrowing incident, about his relative who suffered a cardiac arrest and was taken to one of the largest private hospital in Karachi located near Stadium Road but suffered the same fate. While returning from his funeral, I heard rumours about a sudden rise in coronavirus-related deaths in Karachi. Similar reports of the coronavirus protocol have reported in India and several other countries.
It is my humble request to higher authorities, provincial and federal government, chief minister, prime minister, chief justice, social and political leaders, as well as health experts to take notice of his killer protocol. No doubt that coronavirus is a deadly disease but human lives suffering from other ailments cannot be risked and can easily be saved. Hospitals should be provided protective equipment and training while the emergency department should be prepared to treat patients before coronavirus tests are conducted. This policy regarding the coronavirus protocol should be revisited as it is becoming an even bigger killer than the disease.
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