Nazakat’s Journey: From Pain to Hope | Indus Hospital

1. February 2025: An infectious diseases patient encounter in the OPD From Pain to Hope: Nazakat’s Journey

Nazakat, a daily wage laborer, experienced a sharp pain in his groin. At first, he ignored it considering it as a muscle cramp. Later, as the pain spread to the other parts of the abdomen, he went to a nearby clinic, where the doctors paid no attention to his pain and told him that it was due to his over-exhausting work.

Nazakat continued to bear the pain and was eventually unable to move, his mother forced him to go to Indus Hospital, “I cannot thank my mother till the day I die. Her instincts saved my life”.

What started as a little pain, grew into a swelling the size of a balloon. The skin cracked and turned an ugly red and pus began to leak out of his sores attracting flies. In response, the doctors at Indus performed a series of surgeries that eventually removed the flesh-eating bacteria that had taken up host in Nazakat’s abdomen and rendered him bedridden.

“The first day I cried as I was told it would take a few weeks for the treatment to complete and for me to return home. Being the sole earner, I was very fearful that my family would not be able to pay for my treatment. But the staff visited me regularly and assured me, I would soon return home walking and I need not worry about the cost of the treatment.”

For Nazakat recovering from multiple surgical procedures was difficult, but the nurses by his side and all the other staff’s encouragement helped him stand up and walk again.  “During my stay at the hospital, my brother who accompanied me wondered how this hospital was so different from the many other hospitals in the country. Here every staff was like a family and they never let me lose hope for a speedy recovery. Indus was a blessing in my times of despair.”

“I didn’t think it was a big deal, after all, what’s a little pain? At my mother’s insistence, I decided to seek a second opinion at Indus. It turned out to be the best decision I have ever made”

Following the initial visit, Nazakat’s condition worsened rapidly prompting the doctors to immediately place him in in-patient care.

Although initially fearful about having to stay in the hospital, Nazakat soon found his worries melt away. Unlike the horror stories he had heard about other hospitals, the wards were clean, spacious, and well-lit, and the staff wasted no time in assuring Nazakat that Allah willing, he would soon return home walking. “Barely even an hour into my first day I almost cried with relief.”

Nazakat’s story is one of resilience and the power of compassion. Against all odds, he left the hospital on his own two feet, his heart filled with gratitude for the people who gave him a second chance at l