Dire need of tetanus vaccine in Islamabad hospitals

There is dire need of tetanus vaccine in Islamabad hospitals as the incidence of this fatal disease is creeping up rapidly due to non-availability of vaccine. A well-placed source told Business Recorder that casualty rate is increasing due to non-availability of tetanus, cholera and typhoid vaccines.
Federal Minister for Health, Nasir Khan and Faisal Saleh Hayat, Minister for Kashmir Affairs visited the hospitals but an official on conditions of anonymity told this scribe that patients are in great agony and their attendants from far-off areas of Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Rawlakot and Balakot are forced out by the hospital administration giving lame excuse of security.
Due to security problems attendants faced trouble as these patients arrived here from far-off calamity hit areas to locate their injured family members who were lost in October 8 disaster.
It is not apprehendable that despite huge foreign assistance the government has not focused on provision of adequate amount of anti-tetanus globulin (ATG), source said.
The source said that government must provide ATG vaccine to the affected patients in hospitals as price of one tetanus vaccine is Rs 500 and typhoid and cholera vaccine costs about Rs 1,500 whereas affected patients from calamity-hit areas even do not have enough resources for Iftar.
A medical officer from FGSH said that tetanus vaccine injection must be given as initial treatment at field hospitals of calamity-hit area within 64 hours and due to government's negligence in provision of tetanus vaccination in field hospitals, more patients are coming to big hospitals where its non-availability caused several deaths.
Source said that till now FGSH has received 1,136 patients from calamity hit areas of Muzaffarabad, Bagh, Rawlakot, Mansehra, Balakot and 106 patients are shifted to attached private hospitals, while 45 affected people from F-10, Margalla Tower were admitted to the hospital adding that 286 blood bags are available at the moment and more blood donations will be required as more patients from calamity hit areas are arriving.
It was learnt that out of the affected patients admitted to FGSH, 11 patients died while most of the patients are severely injured having fractured legs and arms, head and face injuries and spinal cord injuries and they will take at least 3 month to recover.
Source said that Federal Minister for Health, Nasir Khan has committed that tetanus, typhoid and cholera vaccines will be provided to the hospitals soon adding that government has requested World Health Organisation (WHO) to procure ATG from foreign countries.
It was informed that 106 patients are shifted to attached private hospitals adding that data collection exercise at Chaklala airbase is not carried out accurately and hospital administration is facing difficulty in identification of the quake-hit patients.
Source said that government and donor agencies must provide stock of blankets, mattresses according the number of patients in the hospital. It was learnt that volunteer organisations are bringing blankets, mattresses and edible items for affected patients in surgical wards.
Source said that affected patients must be provided tetanus vaccine at field hospitals and patients with fractures must be shifted from calamity hit area to hospitals with intensive care so that their fractures may not develop more.