silent poison
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Riots, target killings, bombs Karachi has seen it all. Behind the scenes, responsible for damage control are the doctors and paramedical staff who work around the clock to keep up a semblance of normalcy in the citys chaotic emergency wards.
Apart from the large number patients that flock the hospitals in a city teeming with over 18 million people, the emergency departments have a whole other problem to face: The constant danger and threats faced by the medical staff.
Security threat
The security threat is the common factor amongst the three major public hospitals in Karachi; the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and the Civil Hospital. The nature of violence faced by them varies from militants to mobs, sometimes within the walls of the wards.
On February 5, 2010, a blast occurred right outside the emergency gates of the JPMC, killing 18 and injuring countless others. Though the whole emergency ward was eventually revamped by the administration, the wards Executive Director, Dr. Seemin Jamali says the threats have by no means disappeared.
On our part, we have put up barriers and blockades to protect ourselves. But whenever the violence increases, the people accompanying patients or gunshot victims dont listen and at times attack the staff, she explains.
As of now, theres extra but still-sparse security at the JPMC gates, including guards inducted by the hospital administration itself. Dr. Jamali adds that Rangers personnel are present at the gates and are prompt in their response in case of a security threat, but a video clipping of a recent incident shows something completely different.
The incident, which was caught on camera, captures an armed man killing an injured man on a stretcher right outside Dr. Jamalis office. Narrating what happened, she says that an auto rickshaw drove inside the emergency ward, with a bearded man tightly holding onto a lifeless body. Apparently, a fight had broken out between two rival groups in Empress Market over extortion, which then made its way to the emergency ward of a public hospital.
In the CCTV footage of the incident, it is clear that the bearded man was not in the mood to talk or to listen to the ward staff, who repeatedly asked him to park the rickshaw outside. Dr. Jamali said that at this point, an injured man from the rival group was brought in, lying in a bloodied shirt on a stretcher. The CCTV footage then showed the bearded man rushing towards the man, hitting him with a stick. Seconds later, a man with his face covered with a scarf, came out of the opposite room with a Kalashnikov and fired a volley of shots, killing the injured man instantly.
The scenes right after the shooting show people rushing out of the emergency ward, while the hospital staff is seen ducking behind counters. It also shows both the men brazenly walking out of the emergency department, as around them people rush to save their lives.
Perhaps what is as shocking as the incident itself is the time it took for law enforcement officials, posted a few steps away from the ward, to enter the scene a whole fifteen minutes.
Though Dr. Jamali gives a non-committal answer when asked about the promptness of the security officials posted, she did admit the hospital needs more security. This is something that we go through everyday. We have repeatedly demanded security for our staff. We eventually got security but it is not enough, as it is a common sight to see people carrying armed weapons inside the emergency ward. The lack of proper security makes us a soft target.
Meanwhile, the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), located in a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stronghold in Karachis Nazimabad area, received threats of a possible attack during elections, the deputy medical superintendent of the hospital says. I have never seen the higher ups so serious, he says, adding, There were a number of meetings and a plan was chalked out, but it was not followed after elections.
According to the plan, more security was to be provided to the hospital, which Mr. Anwar says was provided, but only for a few days. Secondly, a parking lot for the ASH was to be finished, as the cars parked inside created a traffic jam for incoming ambulances. Thirdly, Mr. Anwar points out that though security was provided, it was not satisfactory.
The guards who were posted outside the gates were old and haggard. And they had to be told to be strict with people trying to get inside the hospital to create a ruckus, but to no avail, he adds.
No-go hospitals
But the ASH has other problems to deal with. Although the hospital has a strong reputation for providing efficient treatment for dengue, the hospital is also often alleged to have political links.
During the June-August 2011 ethnic killings in Karachi, which claimed the lives of around 400 people in just a month, Pakhtuns often refused to get treatment at ASH, although this issue received little attention from the media. Anwar responded to this by saying that a few of the videos were circulated to damage the reputation of the hospital, and rubbished the concern as a mere perception.
In Karachi, hospitals are as dangerous as its streets - DAWN.COM
Apart from the large number patients that flock the hospitals in a city teeming with over 18 million people, the emergency departments have a whole other problem to face: The constant danger and threats faced by the medical staff.
Security threat
The security threat is the common factor amongst the three major public hospitals in Karachi; the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and the Civil Hospital. The nature of violence faced by them varies from militants to mobs, sometimes within the walls of the wards.
On February 5, 2010, a blast occurred right outside the emergency gates of the JPMC, killing 18 and injuring countless others. Though the whole emergency ward was eventually revamped by the administration, the wards Executive Director, Dr. Seemin Jamali says the threats have by no means disappeared.
On our part, we have put up barriers and blockades to protect ourselves. But whenever the violence increases, the people accompanying patients or gunshot victims dont listen and at times attack the staff, she explains.
As of now, theres extra but still-sparse security at the JPMC gates, including guards inducted by the hospital administration itself. Dr. Jamali adds that Rangers personnel are present at the gates and are prompt in their response in case of a security threat, but a video clipping of a recent incident shows something completely different.
The incident, which was caught on camera, captures an armed man killing an injured man on a stretcher right outside Dr. Jamalis office. Narrating what happened, she says that an auto rickshaw drove inside the emergency ward, with a bearded man tightly holding onto a lifeless body. Apparently, a fight had broken out between two rival groups in Empress Market over extortion, which then made its way to the emergency ward of a public hospital.
In the CCTV footage of the incident, it is clear that the bearded man was not in the mood to talk or to listen to the ward staff, who repeatedly asked him to park the rickshaw outside. Dr. Jamali said that at this point, an injured man from the rival group was brought in, lying in a bloodied shirt on a stretcher. The CCTV footage then showed the bearded man rushing towards the man, hitting him with a stick. Seconds later, a man with his face covered with a scarf, came out of the opposite room with a Kalashnikov and fired a volley of shots, killing the injured man instantly.
The scenes right after the shooting show people rushing out of the emergency ward, while the hospital staff is seen ducking behind counters. It also shows both the men brazenly walking out of the emergency department, as around them people rush to save their lives.
Perhaps what is as shocking as the incident itself is the time it took for law enforcement officials, posted a few steps away from the ward, to enter the scene a whole fifteen minutes.
Though Dr. Jamali gives a non-committal answer when asked about the promptness of the security officials posted, she did admit the hospital needs more security. This is something that we go through everyday. We have repeatedly demanded security for our staff. We eventually got security but it is not enough, as it is a common sight to see people carrying armed weapons inside the emergency ward. The lack of proper security makes us a soft target.
Meanwhile, the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), located in a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stronghold in Karachis Nazimabad area, received threats of a possible attack during elections, the deputy medical superintendent of the hospital says. I have never seen the higher ups so serious, he says, adding, There were a number of meetings and a plan was chalked out, but it was not followed after elections.
According to the plan, more security was to be provided to the hospital, which Mr. Anwar says was provided, but only for a few days. Secondly, a parking lot for the ASH was to be finished, as the cars parked inside created a traffic jam for incoming ambulances. Thirdly, Mr. Anwar points out that though security was provided, it was not satisfactory.
The guards who were posted outside the gates were old and haggard. And they had to be told to be strict with people trying to get inside the hospital to create a ruckus, but to no avail, he adds.
No-go hospitals
But the ASH has other problems to deal with. Although the hospital has a strong reputation for providing efficient treatment for dengue, the hospital is also often alleged to have political links.
During the June-August 2011 ethnic killings in Karachi, which claimed the lives of around 400 people in just a month, Pakhtuns often refused to get treatment at ASH, although this issue received little attention from the media. Anwar responded to this by saying that a few of the videos were circulated to damage the reputation of the hospital, and rubbished the concern as a mere perception.
In Karachi, hospitals are as dangerous as its streets - DAWN.COM
