Staff Reporter
The Punjab Health Department on Saturday refuted reported about a high number of hospitalisations due to overeating during Eid holidays here in the provincial metropolis.
“A total of 1,200 people were admitted to different hospitals of the City during the last three days of Eidul Azha, contrary to the claim of over 25,000 people reported by some section of media.”
Responding to reports appeared in some sections of the media, the health department termed all such report misinformation and rumours.
The department said that during the three-day holidays, fewer than the usual number of patients complaining of stomach ailments came to hospitals, adding that usually a large volume of people come to seek treatment during Eid holidays.
General Hospital MS Dr Abdul Razzak said that 823 patients with gastrointestinal issues came to the hospital while Mayo Hospital MS Dr Iftikhar Ahmed put the number at 145. The
officials at Jinnah Hospital and Services Hospital reported 26 and 70 patients, respectively.
According to a media report, over 25,000 people in the City alone sought emergency medical help during the first two days of Eid.
“20,600 people have visited the emergency rooms of government-run Mayo Hospital, Jinnah Hospital, General Hospital, Services Hospital, Ganga Ram Hospital, Shahdara Hospital, Government Mian Mir Hospital, Nawaz Sharif Hospital and Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital since the beginning of Eid holidays,” the publication reported on Friday.
Dr Muhammed Shahzad Hafeez of the Services Hospital informed that 3,000 patients complaining of heartburn and bloating were admitted during this period.
“People indulge in heavy meat dishes on Eid, which leads to serious problems in the gastrointestinal tract, like reflux and acidity which could wreak havoc on the body,” Dr Hafeez told the publication.“
The number of people seeking help at Lahore’s private hospitals was over 5,000,” the report said.
