DHSK Honors Medical Team for Bravery
SUHAIL KHAN
SRINAGAR, Mar 22: The ground beneath them shook, but their hands did not falter. A team of doctors at the sub-district hospital in south Kashmir’s Bijbehara demonstrated extraordinary bravery and commitment to their patients as they carried out an emergency surgery during the intense shocks of Tuesday night’s earthquake.
The doctors, led by operating surgeon Dr. Shabeena Shah, remained composed and focused, completing the delicate procedure and providing vital care to their patient despite the frightening situation.
Their courage and professionalism in the face of adversity have earned them praise and admiration from around the world.
Dr. Shabeena Shah told the Kashmir Despatch that a patient arrived at their hospital in a state of distress and was promptly admitted for treatment.
“During the patient’s stay, it was determined that a Lower Segment Caesarean Section (LSCS) was necessary. Unfortunately, this was the third LSCS case to occur when an earthquake struck the region,” she said.
The doctor said that the medical team began the procedure and took the patient into the surgery ward; they were suddenly jolted by the earthquake.
A healthcare official said that initially, they hoped the tremors would subside, but as they continued, memories of the recent Turkish episode flashed through Dr Shabeena’s mind.
“As a medical professional, my top priority was to ensure my patient’s safety and well-being, and I rallied my team to stand together in the face of this unexpected challenge.”
Dr Shabeena said though, it was a challenging phase, besides being very difficult to manage the situation inside the ward, but, Alhamdullah, our colleagues were composed, and saved both the baby and the patient.
She said that her whole team showed calmness and composure while safeguarding the lives of the newborn and the patient.
Dr Naseer, the co-partner in this successful operation amid a strong earthquake told Kashmir Despatch that obviously it was a panic situation for all those who felt the quake but for us our priority is always patient care as we are here for the safety of patients.
He said at that time the only thing to conduct the surgery was a conducive atmosphere and with the dedication of the team all stood together which was enough for patient care.
Dr Naseer further said that we have good doctors in Kashmir but we need your trust, faith and confidence, he said our main priority is always to treat our patients well.
He said there may be few black-sheeps, but the rest of the percentage of doctors are well-educated, dedicated and committed to their profession.
Meanwhile, Director of Health Services Kashmir, Dr. Mushtaq Rather felicitated the heroic doctors for their bravery.
Dr. Mushtaq Rather appreciated the efforts of doctors and said they are real heroes.
Chief medical officer Ananthnag also appreciated the efforts of the doctors. He took to microblogging site Twitter and wrote, “Kudos to the staff of SDH Bijbehara who conducted the LSCS smoothly and thank God everything is alright.“
Netizens also praised the team of doctors and paramedical staff on social media platforms after a video of the LSCS being conducted went viral.
In regions of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, strong earth tremors were felt on Tuesday night. The epicenter of the earthquake was reported to be in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush area, with a magnitude of 6.6.
Suhail Khan is a filmmaker, content writer, and freelance journalist.
