Letter 1

Dr Khdija Javed Qazi
MBBS, MCPS, FCPS,
Assistant Professor,
JPMC, Karachi.

"We have reached Muzaffar Abad, around 10:00 PM 23rd
October(yesterday)with the unit comprised on Staff
Nurses, Gyne/Obs consultants, dispensers and OT
technicians in two wagons via Islamabad, from Karachi.
Prior our reaching here there were only two
gynecologist who were working here and there were no
facilities/ infrastructure available here that could
facilitate the services of this nature. We have now
released these doctors to go back and get some rest.

There is great dearth of anesthetists here. The great
amount of injuries and operations that are taking
place here are orthopedic in nature. One can imagine
the velocity that 120 operations of this nature have
taken place just yesterday in the hospital now I am
working with. The name of this hospital is Abbass
Institute of Science and technology. It is a hospital
working in private sector but now has been dedicated
for earthquake victims. This is 60-bed hospital the
only hospital that is working other than tent
hospitals. However, still it under construction and
hardly 40 percent or its covered area is workable.

Probably our team is full team that can cover now all
maternity and gyne related problems of this area and
before it was insufficient. The administration has
started putting banners on the roads as well
loudspeaker announcement has been made so that people
could be informed, that now full fledge maternity/gyne
facilities are available in Muzafarabad. 

My team and I have just today made arrangements of
labor room in this hospital, there is one Associate
Proffessor, Dr Razia Korejo, from JPMC also with us we
are setting out a separate Gyne/Maternity OPD here
also. I have, in the morning, had a one caesarian
operation and I expect by night me and my team will go
doing around 50 operations of small and big and of
different level and also deliveries and this ratio
will increase also in a few days. 

The government hospital has turn into debris. There is
a great shortage of water here and we are afraid this
shortage of water could create problems in our
sterilization of OT instruments and that might lead
into postoperative infections. What we direly need
here is the supply of water. Otherwise almost all
things are available here, which could facilitate us
to meet out emergencies. 

There are many Sindhis they have come here, in the
morning when the team of volunteers that has come from
Nawabshah saw me knew me because of my husband and
they very cooperative with me.

At the movement I have been given the assignment to
supervise OT related issues and the others such as OPD
and labor room has been given to others. In my OT team
I have three junior doctors also. 

It was an earthquake last night we observed when in
our room things started falling from table. But we
don’t have fear. It is unfortunate that we are using
a mineral water almost for every purpose since here
there is complete shortage of water.


The nights of Muzafarabad have gone very wintry and
days also but still not that much, however at any time
a snowfall is expected. I have been to these places
many times my childhood has spent Islamabad. We used
to frequently visit to these places. I have love with
these mountains I feel as if I have come in my own
peoples." 

Dr Khdija Javed Qazi