JEDDAH, 14 October 2006 — Ramadan is the month of peace and calmness. In ER departments, however, the case is different. As iftar (fast-breaking) time approaches, the whole place becomes like a beehive of emergency activity. Loud sounds of ambulances’ sirens fill the space. Doctors respond and run to rescue patients.
“Most of the accidents in Ramadan occur around the time of Maghreb (sunset),” said Dr. Mansour Al-Kadasi, ER consultant at King Abdul Aziz Hospital.
According to the doctor, the emergency ward of the hospital, located in south Jeddah, is about 10 percent busier than other times of the year.
The King Fahd General Hospital in north Jeddah receives about 70 percent of all emergency cases in Jeddah. During the holy month of Ramadan, there are 11 to 12 emergency cases admitted daily.
As men become Formula One drivers to reach homes as fast as they can to break fast, the chance of accidents increases.
Cooking accidents also rise during Ramadan, said the doctor, because of the increase in home cooking and large families gathering round the iftar table. “Parents are responsible for children are playing around in the kitchen and burning themselves,” said Kadasi.
While the ill are exempt from fasting, many people who are sick may choose to fast resulting in emergency situations. For example, they may unnecessarily forego the drug doses during daylight hours.
“Some patients have to stick to strict regimen while fasting,” he said. “Doctors may ask them not to fast because of their health conditions, but many of them still insist on fasting.”
Diabetics are of particular concern because there are so many of them in the Kingdom, said the doctor.
According to Dr. Mohammad Bakhsh, head of ER department at King Fahd Hospital, the most common accidents during Ramadan is falling-down.
“We receive many falling-down cases during the week,” he said. “Most of the victims are Asian maids who want to escape” the pressures of work during Ramadan. There are many domestic violence cases too, he added.
During the last ten days of Ramadan, the rate of bus accidents increases because it is the high season of Umrah traffic.
