Reference :
V-P-PK-E-01399
Date :
09/2016
Caption :
Karachi. Talib Hussein is a security guard who was shot. The ambulance he called never made it and he had to be brought to the hospital by car.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
"I lay bleeding from the gunshot wound for at least half an hour, and no ambulance appeared. Eventually I had to be carried to a private car and rushed to the hospital.
The incident happened some months ago. I started working as a security guard in October 2015, at an industrial site in Karachi. I had been working there a mere 17 days when this accident happened. The site is directly on the main road which is one of the major thoroughfares for heavy trucks and goods vehicles, particularly in the early evening. Traffic is often backed up for miles. Even I would frequently be late getting to my guard post because of the traffic situation.
That day the traffic was typically bad. I had arrived late at my post, it must have been around 5 p.m. The day guard was in a rush and preparing to leave, and hurriedly carrying out his routine weapons check. We are under instructions to remove all ammunition from our weapons before we end our shifts, and he was going through the procedure. Standing a few feet away from me, he accidentally discharged his weapon, which led to his gun jerking out of his hands and a bullet piercing my leg. I had no idea what had happened, other than there was a sudden pain, and large pools of blood. There was panic all around and eventually an ambulance was called. But it never came. We waited for what seemed an eternity, but no ambulance made it past the traffic. I was lucky to have made it to the hospital at all."
ICRC website, photo gallery “Unsung Heroes of Pakistan: Healthcare Workers Taking Risks to Save Lives”, 07 JULY 2017
“Violence against healthcare professionals working in conflict areas is a reality that thousands of healthcare workers have to confront on a daily basis. Often the impacts of this violence spill over to the patients, families, and coworkers as well. In Karachi, Pakistan, these are the true stories of healthcare workers who've encountered this violence while risking their own lives to save the lives of others.
ICRC's Healthcare in Danger (HCiD) project aims at encouraging different stakeholders to improve the security and delivery of healthcare in armed conflict and other emergency situations.”
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
4912x6144
Orientation :
portrait
Colour/B&W :
colour
