ANJUM IBRAHIM

What ‘little’ surgery she needs?

“I have been racking my brain as to what little surgery Maryam Nawaz needs that is not available in Pakistan.”

“Really this is what you are racking your brain over!”

“We have open heart surgery here, we have cancer surgery here – even in hospitals that are not run under the Shaukat Khanum banner, we have dialysis and need I add like pilots we have the best doctors in the world, those educated here and abroad and.…”

“Pilots, really! What are you a Chaudhry Nisar fan!”

“Look the disservice done to our national airline by Ghulam Sarwar single handedly…”

“With help from the Prime Minister…but you must give the guy his due…I mean we have had many, many incompetent federal ministers but did anyone come remotely close to what Sarwar sahib did to the airline!”

“Ishaq Dar…”

“Dar was a bad finance minister but wasn’t half bad as the deputy prime minister.”

“Don’t be facetious anyway going back the surgery required by Maryam Nawaz perhaps she is being careful. I mean like other professions that interact with the general public doctors also have a political bias besides you mentioned major surgeries, she said a little surgery…”

“What is maybe little for you may not be for another. I know for a fact that two lakh rupees is a sizeable amount for The Khan but it is less than peanuts for Faisal Vawda and…”

“Oye stop, I am getting tired of hearing the same-o, same-o anyway what minor surgery is not possible in Pakistan…”

“She didn’t say minor, she used the word choti which means little….”

“That’s true so any guesses?”

“We are not known for medical tourism in spite of cheap organ transplants in this country, though Afghans do prefer our hospitals to theirs but our doctors are good…”

“I don’t think money is an issue.”

“You think?”

“OK wrong choice of word, how about money is no object….”

“Right but you know we have great doctors but infrastructure is poor….”

“Ha ha just like all sectors, the electricity sector, the gas sector, the…”

“Right so any guesses what surgery she may need?”

“We have cosmetic surgery here too….”

“She said surgery that is not available in this country.”

“We have stem cell treatment here, whether it’s cosmetic or knee replacement or…. “

“I reckon it maybe that the preferred hospital, the Sharif Hospital, perhaps doesn’t have a machine that is required…”

“Sound likely.”