Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh Health Department and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) have ignored several deadly diseases while focusing all their energies combating coronavirus, as more than 15, 000 operations have been postponed in last two months in Karachi, putting thousands of patients at stake.

Major hospitals including Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICD), Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases, National Institute of Child Health and others are among the hospitals that have postponed routine surgeries for an indefinite period due to Covid-19 emergency.

Sources at KMC and Sindh Health Department said that about 400 minor and major surgeries were performed each day in the city’s hospitals before the coronavirus emergency. However, only 100 to 150 emergency surgeries are being performed in the megacity now.

An official at Civil Hospital Karachi told PPI that about 30 to 40 surgeries are being done in hospital as compared to 150 in normal days. Similarly, the number of surgeries in ASH, NICH, NICVD, KIHD and other hospitals has also decreased than routine days.

The number of admissions in JPMC has also declined after the announcement of lockdown and shortage of transport. Presently, 40 to 50 surgeries are being conducted at JPMC.

The ratio of cardiac and paediatric related surgeries have also reduced in National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and National Institute of Child Health since March 20. The KMC hospitals were also facing same situation since beginning of Coronavirus emergency in the megacity.

Medical Superintendent, CHK, Dr Khadim Hussain Qureshi, was not available for comments.