Gloomy Eid for hundreds injured in road accidents

With injuries sustained in road crashes during the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, hundreds of people have spent the festival days in gloom, reports bdnews24.com.
More than 350 patients with accident injuries have been treated at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR), commonly known as Pangu Hospital, in Dhaka during the three-day holiday.
Many are still returning to the capital after spending the Eid holidays with their relatives. Amid the festivities, 17 people died in road crashes on Wednesday and 14 on Thursday. Scores were injured and a majority of the victims of the fatal crashes were on motorcycles.
Patients crowded the Pangu Hospital's emergency department also on Friday. Many of them came from outside Dhaka.
According to Abdul Gani Mollah, director of the hospital, 75 patients came to the department on Monday, the eve of Eid, 140 on the Eid day, and 145 on Wednesday. Doctors also treated 40 to 50 outpatients on each of the three holidays.
"Fewer patients of motorbike accidents came to his hospital this time", said Abdul Gani, adding that more patients came from other hospitals.
He said, "Four to five motorbike accident patients came on the Eid day and two to three the following day".
"The patients sent from Bhanga, Faridpur and Rangpur hospitals could not arrive before Eid. So they are coming now", he said.
Some of the patients require amputation.
Khorshed Alam Motaleb, a 32-year-old pickup driver from the North Badda area of the capital, said that he broke his right leg while riding his friend's motorcycle on the eve of Eid.
Relatives first took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where the doctors sent him to the Pangu Hospital.
After coming to the hospital, Khorshed now lies with bandages on his legs. The doctors have decided to operate on him.
Khorshed's cousin Mahtab Ali said that he was wondering if he would take him to another hospital as here it will take time to get on the waiting list for the operation.
Patients are also thronging the place outside the surgery room of the emergency department for a serial. Nearly 50 patients lay on the floor, waiting for their turn.
Another patient, who fell from a battery-operated rickshaw and broke his arm, said he was scheduled to undergo surgery on Thursday but was still waiting on Friday.
Arif Hossain, 19, said that he broke his arm after falling from a motorcycle at Panchdona in Narsingdi on Thursday. Now he has come to Dhaka with his uncle for treatment.
Next to Arif was Siam Ahmed, a young man wearing an elbow guard and a knee guard. He came to the emergency department with middle-aged Nasirul Islam.
Siam said that he was riding his bike behind a bus in Gabtoli. He could not control it as passer-by Nasirul suddenly appeared before his bike. They both fell. Siam's chin, lips and a hand were injured a little as he was wearing a helmet and safety gear.
He brought injured Nasirul to the hospital on his bike.
According to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, 89 people who were injured in road accidents came to the hospital between May 02 and 05. Four of them were declared dead on arrival.