Nurses
are instrumental in bringing patients out of despair and into state
of wellness
In the wake of the earthquake, there was an acute shortage of nurses,
even though a large number of doctors, physicians and surgeons had
reached the disaster areas. AKU nursing team was dispatched in response
to an urgent request by the Pakistan Nursing Council (PNC). The AKU
nurses were the first all female team to reach the field on Oct 14
to help the victims.
Providing an update on the conditions in the disaster
areas, Dr. Rafat Jan said, "Even though doctors and surgeons
have reached the disaster areas, nurses are needed desperately.
Especially in post-operative cases, nursing care is critical in
avoiding complications and promoting wellness." Dr Jan said
that the AKU nurses worked tirelessly around the clock, in 13- hour
shifts to provide urgently needed care and support at Abbas Institute
of Medical Sciences (AIMS) in Muzaffarabad and looked after hundreds
of patients.
Speaking on the role of nurses in disaster situation,
Dr Jan observed, 'When people go through such severe trauma, along
with medical issues, they go into shock and develop phobias. In
such situations, nurses are instrumental in bringing patients out
of despair and into state of wellness." Dr Rafat Jan recalled
countless cases where patients benefited from sympathetic nursing
care. In particular, she recalled the heartbreaking case of a six-
year old girl who was in the field with her father, when her only
sister was trapped and died under the rubble in a local school.
The girl lay there with her eyes closed and had not eaten or spoken
for days, but when one of the nurses kept on gently calling her
name, she opened her eyes and took a biscuit. The father was close
to tears with gratitude. There was another case of a one month old
baby who was in the arms of his mother when the earthquake struck
and left his mother dead, while he survived without a scratch. The
trauma affected the tiny baby who, in shock, left feeding and was
in a state of 'failure to thrive'. It was with the continuous care
provided by the nurses which brought the infant out of danger. His
grandmother was also trained by the nurses to provide special care
to the infant.
In addition to the nursing team, four teams of doctors,
surgeons and specialists from AKU have gone to assist in the relief
efforts. AKU's specialized trauma team is stationed in Islamabad
since Oct 11 and the staff is being rotated to keep up with the
ongoing requirement for expert care. Another AKU team is busy helping
in Disease Surveillance for collecting data to control the spread
of epidemics, which are expected after such a calamity. One more
team is stationed at Garhi Habibullah and is carrying on a mass
vaccination project for at-risk children and women. The AKU doctors
are labouring indefatigably to impart on the field care to patients,
but where specialized care is required, patients are air-lifted
to Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi (AKUH). To date five such
patients have been treated at AKUH.
These efforts
are a part of the overall Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) relief
assistance through its various affiliates and agencies, which include
humanitarian and financial assistance. AKDN has also provided four
much needed helicopters to Pakistan Army which have been used to
provide essential food items to over 25,000 families. FOCUS Humanitarian
Assistance, the international emergency relief agency has mobilized
significant medical and relief goods to the northern regions. Aga
Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS, P) has also sent teams of medical
professionals including lady health visitors which are presently
based in Muzaffarabad and beyond.
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