ISLAMABAD: Every passing day is bringing more miseries to the participants of sit-ins who are now contracting different diseases including fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.

On an average 500 patients daily visit medical camps of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to get medicine, says General Secretary of Welfare Wing, PAT, Sajjad Ahmed Malik.

While talking to Dawn, Mr Malik said not only PAT workers, but the activists of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and police officials also received medical treatment at the camps.

“Around 90 per cent patients complained about sore throats, pain in body and fever. Almost 10 per cent had stomach problem and now some patients have also started complaining about skin rashes,” he said.

Mr Malik who belonged to the AJK said that workers of PAT were fatigued because most of them had reached Model Town Lahore before Eid and since then had been on the roads.

“Workers are getting treatment but they are not ready to leave the sit-in. We have arranged drips and oxygen. Medicines are provided to patients and in case of emergency, they are sent to hospitals,” he said.

Omer Hayat who got his leg injured while crossing an iron fence also visited the camp to receive treatment.

Another patient Munawar Hussain complained to the doctor that one of his legs went numb.

While talking to Dawn Mr Hussain, who came from Karachi, said he could no longer stand on his foot and listen to the speech of his party chairman Tahirul Qadri.

Issue of contaminated water

A number of participants of the sit-in have got their stomachs upset.

General Secretary of Welfare Wing, PAT, Sajjad Ahmed Malik told Dawn that after taking water from the CDA tanker a number of participants complained about nausea.

Rizwan Taqadus, who came to the camp with stomach problem, was provided medicine.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Rizwan from Shakargarh said he had two glasses of drink from a vendor and since then has been feeling pain in stomach.

When contacted, Shahzad Khan, the in-charge of food and distribution at the PAT camp, said investigation had revealed that vendors used chemicals instead of food colours due to which participants faced stomach problems.

“We have recovered chemical from a drink seller. It has been decided not to allow any person who sells unhygienic food or cold drinks in the sit-in venue,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2014