ISLAMABAD: The temperature in a small, enclosed room in Multan’s Nishtar Hospital is cooler than the temperature outside as three patients infused with an intravenous drip lay on beds and a round water cooler with the words “ORS,” meaning oral rehydration solution, sits at a table in the room.
This is the scene at the heat wave “bay,” a separate unit at the largest public hospital in the city, that is dedicated to heat stroke patients. The 1000-bed hospital, which has been functioning since 1953, has allocated two rooms of its Emergency Ward for patients who come in with cases of dehydration, high blood pressure, diarrhea and other risks associated with a heat stroke.
The initiative was taken after the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) warned of multiple heat waves in the country till June. Parts of Pakistan have seen temperatures as high as 52.2 degrees Celsius (126°F) over the last week as South Asia swelters in a hot summer — a trend scientists say has been worsened by human-driven climate change.
“Definitely there are heat stroke patients coming in here at Nishtar Hospital,” Medical Superintendent Dr. Muhammad Kazim Khan told Arab News on Friday. “There are daily two to three heat stroke patients.”
The hospital has also been treating patients for dehydration, hypertension and other similar problems in recent weeks.
Khan said the hospital’s “heat stroke rooms” were equipped with central air conditioning, with patients having access to all medicines and ORS, a solution of water, salts and sugar to replenish electrolytes lost through dehydration.
In case of a heat stroke, patients spend up to eight hours at the facility before being discharged upon the physician’s advice, according to the medical superintendent.
“Otherwise, if they suffer any complications, then we shift them to a ward where after spending a day or two, they are again discharged,” he said.
Muhammad Mazhar, 50, said he sought treatment at the hospital Thursday night after suffering from diarrhea and vomiting. He was put on a drip and discharged after his condition improved, only to find the symptoms worsened on Friday.
“I came here again an hour ago and have been put on a drip again,” Mazhar told Arab News. “Right now, I am feeling better.”
Aamna Bibi, 45, was shifted to the hospital after she complained of stomach pain.
“I have been sick for the past five years,” she said. “I faint [whenever the heat gets too much] and I am also a heart patient and I also have diabetes.”
Mazhar said the weather in Multan had become “unbearable.”
“The heat in Multan is severe,” Mazhar said. “When a person goes out, it feels as if he is stepping on coals.”
Khan urged people to be careful during heat waves, advising them to avoid venturing outdoors unnecessarily and stay hydrated at all times by increasingly consuming water and juices.
Diabetes, heart diseases and respiratory illnesses, associated with heat stroke, could become “very dangerous” for patients during a heat wave, he warned.
“If we don’t get a season of rainfall and the temperature continues to remain this high, then no doubt there can be a lot of disaster,” the official said.
“And there may be chances of heat wave patients increasing.”
Heatstroke cases rise in Multan as Pakistan bakes under blistering heat wave
https://arab.news/grrg5
Heatstroke cases rise in Multan as Pakistan bakes under blistering heat wave
- Doctors at Nishtar Hospital say increasing number of patients coming in with heatstroke, dehydration and diarrhea
- Pakistan saw temperatures surge past 50 degrees Celsius recently as heat wave grips Pakistan and India
Pakistan opposition ends protests, PTI forms ‘Imran Khan Release Force’ for jailed ex-PM
- Opposition alliance ends week-long protests over Khan’s health concerns
- Party announces nationwide membership drive for “peaceful” mobilization
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani opposition alliance on Wednesday called off nationwide sit-ins held over jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s health, while his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced a new mobilization campaign, including the formation of an “Imran Khan Release Force.”
Pakistan has faced months of political confrontation between Khan’s party and the government since his arrest in 2023, with repeated protests, court battles and accusations by PTI that authorities are attempting to sideline its leader from politics, allegations the government denies.
Tensions have intensified in recent weeks after concerns emerged about Khan’s health in prison. Khan’s lawyer told Pakistan’s Supreme Court last week that the ex-cricketer had lost significant vision in his right eye while in custody, while a medical board said the swelling had reduced after treatment and his vision had improved. Since last week, the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) opposition alliance has been holding a days-long sit-in at Parliament House over Khan’s health concerns.
“All sit-ins including the one at parliament have been called off,” Hussain Ahmad Yousafzai, a spokesperson for the alliance, told Arab News.
Separately, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi told reporters the party was preparing for an organized political movement to demand their leader’s release.
“After continuous violations of court orders, an organized public struggle has now become inevitable,” Afridi said, announcing the creation of an “Imran Khan Release Force,” with membership open to youth across the country.
Afridi said the organization would include PTI’s student, youth, women, minority and professional wings and would conduct a “completely peaceful struggle,” adding that Khan himself would dissolve the body after his release.
He said membership cards would be issued within days and supporters would take oath in Peshawar after Eid, with a formal chain of command operating under leadership designated by Khan.
“This struggle is for real freedom, supremacy of the constitution and law, democracy and free media,” Afridi said.
Imran Khan, 73, a former cricket star who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, was removed from office in a parliamentary vote of no confidence that he says was orchestrated by political rivals with backing from the military. Both the government and armed forces deny the allegation.
Khan has been jailed since August 2023 after convictions he and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party call politically motivated.
Broadcast outlets have been restricted from airing Khan’s name and speeches or even showing his image. Only a single court photograph has been publicly available since his imprisonment.
PTI swept to power in 2018 and retains a large support base across key provinces.
