PESHAWAR: The number of patients visiting hospitals for admission or routine checkups at out-patients department has decreased in Ramazan.

“This happened every year that we receive fewer patients in Ramazan because people want to keep fasting and start their treatment after Eidul Fitr,” a physician told this scribe. He added that patients’ flow had been on decline since the onset of month of fasting in both private and public hospitals.

“As a result, we receive more patients than routine after Eid. In this holy month, patients visit hospitals only to undergo surgeries that are required on urgent basis while those with common ailments stay homes and wait for Ramazan to pass,” he said.

Each of the medical teaching institutions in Peshawar received more than 2,000 patients in OPD per day. The number has now fallen to 1,000 and the tally could further get down as far as Eidul Fitr gets nearer, according to OPD manager at one of the medical teaching institutions. “In routine, hospitals give six to 12 months for admission for any type of surgery because of patients’ load but in Ramazan, they have more space to hospitalise patients,” he said.

Owner of a private health centre says it is difficult to pay salary to staff

He said that before the start of Ramazan, attendants of patients would stand in long queues to get OPD slips and get examined by doctors. “In Ramazan the situation has completely changed as OPD slips are easily available. However, emergency patients continue to visit accident and emergency departments of hospitals to get treatment,” he said.

He said that emergency patients included victims of road traffic accidents, cases of firearm injuries or other ailments associated with pain that couldn’t be avoided.

“The situation in private hospitals is almost the same where the most sought-after physicians and surgeons don’t receive more patients in this month,” the owner of a private health centre told this scribe. He said that reduction in patients’ number in Ramazan badly affected their income and they faced problems in paying gas and electricity bills and salaries to employees.

“Most people think that they should stay away from doctors because medics will prescribe medicines, which they cannot consume properly due to the month of fasting. Nevertheless, patients can be advised doses in accordance with Ramazan,” He said that they used to receive telephone calls from their friends to book appointments with some of the reputed doctors before Ramazan. However, in the month of fasting, appointments were available without problem, he said.

“Some doctors jokingly say where have gone patients in Ramazan? The hospitals, both public and private, become empty a week before Eidul Fitr and only critically-ill patients are brought to accident and emergency departments,” he said.

The medical director of a hospital said that in medical teaching institutions, doctors and support staff remained present as usual but patients did not come as they did in normal days. According to him, the situation has been benefitting hospital staffers, who are bringing their near and dear ones to get operated upon in this month because generally doctors give painfully longer appointments to people for surgeries.

“The hospitals overflow with patients as soon as Eid passes,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2025