Karachi: The people living in the backwaters of Sindh are fed up with the repeated betrayal by the rulers; to the extent hat they have stopped even raising their voices against injustices and sufferings.
This despondency among the masses becomes quite visible if one travels to any far-off place like Chhore and Umerkot in the interior of Sindh where successive governments, during the last 47 years after the independence have failed to bring about any change in the life of the inhabitants.
One could see them living in thatched huts in villages where even potable water is not available.
When nature reacts against violations of its laws, those who mostly suffer are the very same people. They remain deprived of any relief, no matter which party is in power.
When I traveled last Thursday to Chhore and Umerkot along with Dr Saira khan, who is running an NGO named Medical Aid Foundation, the stark reality that came to the fore was that the only relief for the teeming millions could be the NGO’s provided they take the trouble to visit far-off places and setup camps on the spot, as the MAF is doing.
Dr Khan took along with her two truckloads of relief goods, medicines and ration packets, one fully-loaded ambulance donated to her foundation, North England, and another ambulance raised from the contribution of the friends of MAF.
This was the 10th camp since August, according to Dr Khan which was set up by the foundation in the interior of Sindh, to distribute relief and provide treatment to the victims of the seasonal virus that has gripped the Thar area following the recent heavy rains.
Among others who traveled with us to the camp site were pare-medical staff to assist in taking care of the sick. At both the camps where I happened to witness the work of the MAF, Dr Khan attended to women patients while medical officer at the Taluka Hospital Umerkot, Dr Mohammad Jan, and at the Chhore camp Dr Prem attended to male patients.
The people, who flocked at the camp also came from adjoining villages, were either suffering from cerebral malaria, or anaemia, T.B, gastro-enteritis, and skin infections.
Many could not be attended to at Chhore due to planned back journey to Karachi where the MAF chief has to attend to patients of terminal cases, lodged at Rahatkada on Hali Road, and look after the affairs of the Health Care Centres at Mehmoodabad and Neelam Colony, Clifton.
At both the camps, set up on Thursday and Friday, mostly those who availed of the facility of treatment and relief were Meghwar, Bheel, Kohli, Karia, Baloch, Samas, Nuari, Khaskheli and other farm labours and destitute. There were pathetic scenes when ration packets containing rice, sugar, pulse, tea, dry milk, match boxes, clothes and blankets were distributed as every one was trying to push the other and get a packet.
The hard pressed people apprehending shortage of the relief material did not follow the instruction to make ad queue. Dr Khan, who did not like to part with the responsibility of distribution of relief apprehending mismanagement, sometimes lost her composure when women did not follow her instructions.
When womenfolk-who were declared the only people deserving ration packets crowded her, she stopped distribution in protest but the next moment she overcame hr anger and resumed her work.
I asked some of the patients why such a large number of people have flocked for the treatment, they complained about not being looked after at the Taluka Hospital. Besides, they said, no life saving drug, even snake-bite vaccine, was available. People had to procure it from their own resources or had to approach a private clinics for treatment.
An area resident, Rosool Bux Khaskheli told a pathetic story about the condition prevailing at the Taluka Hospital where mismanagement and inefficiency is far graver than elsewhere in government hospitals.
Khashkheli, a leader of the people’s Students Federation, said in Umerkot alone over 60 patients had died of cerebral malaria as they could not afford private treatment.
Likewise, another youth Abdul Ghaffar said snake-bite vaccine was also not available at the hospital despite the fact that after rains and flood, one would expect a large number of snake-bite cases.
Many precious lives were lost of those who could not procure the vaccine from the black market on payment of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 against the actual price of Rs 280 to Rs 300, he said.
Both corroborated the statements of patients and poor people about the callous attitude of the authorities, who despite announcement of the relief to the victims of the recent rains and flood, had not turn up to even sympathies with them.
Muhammad Essa Nagori, Saadat Ali Guddo and Mohsin Ali Shah also pleaded the case of the Poor. Pointing towards a new 50-bed wad under construction at a cost of Rs 4.5 million, they said when the budget was not available to provide medicines and necessary staff to look after the patients what was the use of raising additional blocks.
TB course for a week’s treatment cost only Rs 50 but even it was not available at the hospital, they pointed out.
Amir Bux, a student of a religious madressah, was suffering from malaria for over six days but due to non-availability of medicines, he was paying the price by losing his will to survive.
Kamalauddin Nuari, who runs a hotel, was suffering with high fever and pain in the body, appeared fed up with his life. He said he had ad big family to support and due to price spiral it was no more possible to support the family forms his hotel income.
“When will our sufferings come to an end, we don’t know. At the time of the election, leaders come only to make promises but after the elections are over, neither the winner nor the loser ever turn up.”
His attention was drawn toward. Federal Minister for Agriculture Yusuf Talpur, MNA from the area, who has set up his office at Umerkot. He said whenever anyone approached the office; he finds no one was presents. “if by chance one does find someone his advice always will be to visit Mr. Talpur in Karachi be to visit Mr. Talpur in Karachi or Islamabad without realizing the fact the people have no resources to chase the minister in the federal or provincial capital.”
Umed Ali Khan, who is living in Umerkot since migrating from India, is now jobless and could not continue to drive vehicles due to asthmatic problem. He almost broke down when he narrated the story of the sufferings of his large family which included daughters of marriage able age.
When I drew the attention of medical officer, Dr Jam towards the complaint of the people about non-availability of medicines at the hospital, he said sometimes back, snake-bite vaccines were not available, “But now we have it in the stock.”
He said his job was only to prescribe the treatment and had no business whatsoever about availability of medicness.
At Chhore camp, which was set up in the premises of the school building, PPP leader from New Chhore Mubarak Soomra pointed out that the government had built a beautiful building of a hospital at New Chhore in 1990 but in absence of the necessary staff, it was being miscued. Besides, he said, the population which was over 15,000 had to travel to Chhore or Umerkot for treatment.
Jamaluddin, another PPP leader from Dodhrio village, Muhammad Omar Kumboh from Jurial Soomra village, complained about occupation of the dispensary building by the army. As a result, beds could not be provided to even seriously ill patients.
They conceded that at Chhore, no relief had been provided to the victims of the recent rains but hastened to add that recently a survey had been completed.
But, a government functionary, who was present when Dr Saira khan was distributing ration among the poor, conceded that over the years it had become a practice of the ruling party to extend relief to party supporters only and ignore all those belonging to the opposition.
However, all those, questioned by Dawn at Umerkot and Chhore, were found satisfied with the Medical Aid Foundation, particularly Dr Saira Khan, who according to them took a right decision to them, took a right decision by not entrusting the relief goods and medicines to the government agencies.
The Medical Aid Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization. It has four divisions. Cancer, Primary Health Care, Social Welfare and Mobile Service. The cancer-detection centre provides preventive programmes to combat cancer with diagnostic facilities, said Dr Khan.
In September 1991 Rahatkada, a hospice, was founded at Hali Road Karachi, where medical and intensive nursing care is provided to advanced and terminal cancer patients free of charge.
One of the purposes of Dr Khan’s visits to far-off places is to bring terminal cases of cancer to her hospice in the ambulance or leave her address with the area medical officers to refer such cases to Rahatkada. |
