Pneumonia continues to pose a grave threat to children under the age of 10, as 13 more minors tragically succumbed to this deadly virus in the past 24 hours in Punjab. The total number of fatalities across the province since January 1 has now reached 392, painting a distressing picture of the ongoing crisis.
The persistent rise in pneumonia-related casualties among children has not only instilled panic among parents but has also exposed the caretaker Punjab government and health authorities for their apparent lack of emergent measures to prevent such a high number of deaths over the past six weeks.
The Young Doctors Association, Punjab, has been tirelessly raising concerns about the increasing number of pneumonia-related deaths and the inadequate provision of medicines to impoverished patients in hospitals. These concerns come at a time when the caretaker government has launched Rs90-billion projects for the upgrading of emergency and other blocks in major government teaching institutes in Lahore.
Despite a decrease in the intensity of cold weather, an official reported that the ongoing lethal wave of pneumonia-related deaths has taken an alarming turn. In the past 24 hours alone, 622 new cases of pneumonia have been reported in Punjab, leaving the health and medical community deeply shaken.
Of these cases, 131 were reported in Lahore, bringing the total number of pneumonia cases in Punjab to 6,190 since the beginning of the year. Numerous children, mostly under the age of five, are flocking to government and private hospitals with severe chest infections, highlighting the severity of the situation.
Adding to the grim situation, all the emergency wards of major teaching hospitals in Lahore have been closed down for renovation work under the caretaker chief minister’s orders. This decision has resulted in patients being treated in corridors, greenbelts, or even storage rooms, exacerbating their suffering.
In Bahawalpur, three more infants tragically lost their lives to pneumonia in the pediatric ward of Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) on Sunday. The medical superintendent of BVH, Dr. Aamir Mahmood Bokhari, confirmed these heartbreaking deaths within the past 24 hours. Sources indicate that the number of children who have succumbed to pneumonia at BVH during the current winter season has now risen to 41.
Disturbingly, an additional 20 infants with pneumonia have been admitted to BVH in the past 24 hours alone. Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Bhatti, the president of the Pakistan Medical Association’s Bahawalpur chapter, has claimed that the scarcity of oxygen at the hospital is the main cause of death for children suffering from pneumonia.
Acknowledgement: Published in Dawn on 19-02-2024
