And they still call it a drama; Many of them still claim that Malala was never shot; Malala had no head injury -:( The doctors in Swat provided her first-aid and then advised the family to immediately shift her to the neurosurgery ward of the LRH in Peshawar for advanced treatment.According to sources in Swat, Malala’s father Ziauddin Yousafzai was the first who wished that she should be taken to Dr Mumtaz Ali in LRH. Dr Mumtaz Ali was the first neurosurgeon who examined Malala after she was brought to Peshawar in a military helicopter. He later led a team of doctors and personally conducted her surgery to remove the bullet from her body. Malala was supposed to be taken to the LRH where Dr Mumtaz is working. Top officials of the Awami National Party (ANP) government had already contacted Dr Mumtaz Ali and requested him to ensure his presence at the LRH as the girl had been shot in Swat and was on way to Peshawar.Since it was evening time, Dr Mumtaz could not attend his private clinic where he usually examines dozens of patients and perform some surgeries as well.He was waiting for the patient in LRH, but senior government officials asked him to reach CMH Peshawar as the patient could not be shifted to LRH due to security reasons. “He immediately left for CMH Peshawar. On the way, he had to attend multiple phones from top government officials, asking him to reach as soon as possible as the patient was in critical condition. He was in a hurry and got panicked when a rickshaw hit his car and damaged the front bumper of his vehicle,” said one of his close fellows. He examined Malala in the CMH and reported that she had suffered bullet injury to left side of her brain. He termed the next three-four days very critical for her life. He advised medicines for Malala and told the doctors and the family that she doesn’t need any instant surgery. After spending a few hours with Malala and the doctors in CMH, Dr Mumtaz left for his home in Hayatabad. “It was around 2am at night when Lt Col Junaid called me as I had left my contact number and told them to call me any time if needed. He told me that the patient’s condition was deteriorating. He requested me if I could come and do her surgery. He offered official security that I refused. I told him that I could go with him alone,” Dr Mumtaz Ali recalled when this correspondent reached him by phone and requested him to share those moments with him. Dr Mumtaz said he had never heard of Malala and her work. “Every patient is special to us. Since she was a child and a girl, I was concerned about her,” he recalled.According to Dr Mumtaz, he came to the CMH and started her surgery along with Lt Col Junaid and a few other doctors. “It took couple of hours and then I went to the house of a friend near CMH to get some sleep,” he said. He again visited her that day and found her condition better. The government later in the day called two retired and neurosurgeons, Prof Dr Tariq Hashim and Prof Dr Tariq Safi for their opinion. Both declared the surgery to be perfect and advised the same treatment that Dr Mumtaz had prescribed. Dr Mumtaz had stated on the occasion that people suffering injuries on the left side of the brain often could not speak. He consoled the family, particularly her nervous parents.He had also opined that such type of patients usually begin going down after three or four days, but since she was young they were hopeful she would recover, and she did. A Britain couple, both said to be neurosurgeons, were in Pakistan in connection with a seminar, and they were also called to Peshawar to examine Malala.According to the military authorities, the couple asked about the doctors who had done her surgery. They told them it was done by a civilian neurosurgeon along with some military doctors. They called the doctor a hero and termed the surgery ‘matchless’.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 16:46:31 +0000
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