As bullet/pellet hit of seething south started crowding Islamabad Hospital, the rising sentiments made it tough for medicos to work before volunteers showed up and streamlined the chaos amid mounting bodies, reports Aakash Hassan
It was déjà vu for doctors at District hospital Islamabad when they had to attend a torrent of patients shortly after militant commander Burhan Wani’s killing. Promising proper care of patients to superiors in Srinagar, Medical superintendent of south Kashmir’s most advanced hospital had sought a different plan.
“I was aware,” says Dr Majeed Meerab, medical superintendent of Islamabad hospital, “as we experienced in past that we won’t be spared by angry public if a single person dies in our hands.” Amid this lurking sense of peril, the doctors decided to shift patients with serious injuries to Srinagar. Seven bullet/pellet injured were rushed to Srinagar hospitals in the first day. Only those having non-fatal injuries were treated at the hospital.
Amid those tense moments, some local youth turned up in the hospital and met the superintendent. “Don’t fear in managing dangerous cases. Try not shift patients who can be managed here,” the young delegation conveyed to Dr Meerab. The assurance proved turning point.
Floating a self-help group Local Youth of Islamabad, those Samaritans took literal charge over the hospital from July 9 evening itself. The immediate crisis was transportation blues in view of attacks on ambulances—and this is where, the youth decided to chip in. Amid peaked tempers, they ferried dead bodies sans triggering tempers.
But as the street stir escalated, their role got tougher in the ‘war-like’ situation.
Pressing priorities were to maintain discipline, provide suitable atmosphere for doctors to work on and keeping medicines available. Some medical representatives among volunteers brought sample medicines from home to distribute them among the needy. “But one need was leading to another, thus driving us to extremes,” says one volunteer.
Still, the volunteers managed the crisis perfectly in the middle of mounting patient-attendant rush at the hospital. Next, they arranged food for the mourning visitors. Already, in the hospital’s back lawn, locals had started collecting food grains. The volunteers coordinated their work, asking them to concentrate on cooking—as they arranged foodstuffs themselves.
The group started after a few friends like Ishfaq Kotwal, Ashiq Hussain, Mohmmad Aadil Wagey and others joined hands to manage the health crisis. But they were no novice to crisis. During 2008-10 summer protests and 2014 floods, the group had volunteered to manage the mess.
But lately, the ‘no registered group’ from the Islamabad town volunteered soon after the ‘bloody Saturday’ saw major parts of south plunging in pro-Burhan protests. They showed up when veins of bleeding patients were running dry. To thwart the crisis, they right away donated at least 100 pints of blood.
The 24/7 volunteerism even made medicos to assert: “We have never seen such cooperation and help.” To act effectively, the group members started having daily meetings with medical superintendent in the highly traumatized place packed with mourners.
“Despite being in complicated situation wherein doctors often become prime targets,” says Dr Meerab, “we worked peacefully — as volunteers not only spared us from public wrath, but also inspired us to give our best.”
But their role was never confined to the hospital alone. They have been attributed of something extraordinary. When doctors asked for a plate—unavailable in Islamabad to be put in knee to one of the injured—one volunteer brought it from Srinagar during midnight by risking his lives.
“One of our buddies went to Srinagar in night as movement in day was not possible and returned with plate, making it possible for doctors to operate him in the morning,” says Suhail Mir, a volunteer working in tourism sector who had rescued many people during 2014 floods.
To run the hospital expanses, the volunteers daily spend Rs 50,000 on medicine, food, and other necessities. “Initially we pooled contributions ourselves before people came forward with monetary help in large number,” says Mohammad Aadil, a founding member of the group.
Some of them regularly check the wards, some manage hospital rush, some shift injured to emergency wards, while some give medicines or eatables to people inside.
“It is first time in such high tension a periphery hospital like ours worked overwhelmingly,” says the medical superintendent. “Had there been no volunteers, we wouldn’t have decreased causality rate that would have been otherwise higher in face of assault on protesters.”
Perhaps that why, for patients and their attendants, these volunteers are “God’s angels”.
