A tribute to paramedics at ASST Gaetano Pini – CTO Hospital Milano

Last week I met with an accident while riding my bicycle. It was a great Friday evening. After this accident, I realised that my leg is broken without any other injuries. People gathered around me and the main traffic line was blocked. Someone called the ambulance, and in next twenty minutes, the ambulance was there.
I called to one of my roommates, Ussama Javed Khan, who was 8km away from me at that moment. I told him regarding my accident and the injuries. He approached me within next fifteen-to-twenty minutes.
The pain was on its peak and I was unable to get the reason(s) of my accident. Ambulance took me to the nearest hospital “Fatebenefratelli Hospital Milan”, where I got first aid and then the radiography. They fixed my broken leg manually and applied the bandages.
Next day, they sent me in another hospital ASST Gaetano Pini – CTO Hospital which was established in 1874. However, this hospital is one of the best orthopedic institutions in Italy.
18 years ago on 10 September 2002, I met with an accident in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. It was very serious accident in which I had lost my consciousness and went in coma for 28 days and my right femur was broken in addition to head injuries. I was operated upon several times in different hospitals in Pakistan and once in Nuffield Hospital Oxford (United Kingdom) for the process of debridement. (*Debridement is the medical removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue. Removal may be surgical, mechanical, chemical, autolytic (self-digestion), and by maggot therapy.)
I was quite blessed after my last operation from Oxford.
My first accident in 2002 was a nightmare for me because I didn’t know what happened to me, and how it was happened? And the state of coma didn’t get me any chance to feel the pain physically or mentally.
But this time, I was in the best mental and physical health conditions. I observed how to get fixed my broken leg and other stuff. This moment I realized the level of pain and grief of being alone, I cried many times while putting my head under the blanket; I found no one around me except nurses and doctors. Whenever I cried, they listened to me. Nurses and doctors approached me in real time frame.
I recalled my memories of those days when I was back home and was hospitalized. I observed the behaviors of our nurses and nursing staff. I can’t compare those so-called paramedics with these professionals.
Once I was admitted to Jinnah hospital Lahore and I observed that there was a poor person in our ward. He had many issues and injuries, he released his stool (poop) on the bed and the nurse called to his family members to remove his clothing. While other way round, in European countries, the paramedics are fully trained to cope with the difficulties and they provide the best possible services to the patients. Nurses and doctors are always there to listen to the patients and resolve their issues.
Last week I had some issues while using my urine bag, and my bed got wet. I called the nurse at midnight and she cleaned me and my bed, and changed my clothes and bed linens instantly. I was repeating “Mi dispiace, mi dispiace” (I am sorry, I am sorry). She said don’t say anything because you are a patient, and sometimes it’s not in your hands to control the situations.
After 20 minutes she went out and I recalled the Jinnah Hospital’s incident, and started crying that these white people do not hate us, I am a Muslim and she is a Christian, but I observed that there is no religion greater than humanity. She was pro-humanity professional and she is highly skilled girl. During the cleaning, she didn’t put wrinkles on her forehead or changed her expressions.
Surgeons visited me and other patients once a day, or on-call anytime 24/7.
I had been in two different hospitals, but I observed and learned how to treat patients who are far away from their home and families?
I learnt how they perform a professional job in hard situations and in tough times without any hazel eyes. I felt so blessed to see this family environment at hospital.
I’m still on the bed but often I go out on wheelchairs. By the grace of Almighty Allah and the prayers of my family members, friends, and social media friends, I am getting better and better every day. Moreover, I can assume that with this rapid growth and recovery I will be back to my normal life very soon. All credit goes to the doctors and nurses of this hospital who provided me the world’s best treatment and services here.
If I would like to make a comparison between Pakistani and European paramedic infrastructure, I’d add that there’s no doubt we have very competent paramedics in Pakistan, but for their professional and personal grooming, government must send them to European countries to learn and gain more experience i.e. how to treat a patient…!