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Hospitals report increase in slip, trip and fall cases

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dr Mahesh Vidhani, specialist orthopaedic surgeon at Jebel Ali Hospital, yesterday said the hospital had reported an increase in slip, trip and fall cases.

“The falls led to several fracture cases caused by the wet conditions. Yesterday, we operated on a Dutch woman, who is visiting her son at Emirates Hills, for a fracture,” said Dr Vidhani.

The woman slipped and fell while walking, suffering a fracture on her arm.

In another case, a 50-year-old British national fractured his collar bone after falling from the roof while doing some repair work during the rain, Dr Vidhani said.

“There have been other minor cases in which the patients were treated and discharged immediately,” he added.

The doctor advised those venturing out of their homes not to wear slippery or high-heeled footwear. He also advised people to restrict outdoor sports and exercise, especially in wet areas.

According to Dr Suresh Menon, specialist physician at Jebel Ali Hospital, there has also been an increase in the number of common cold, flu and cough cases related to the chill caused by the rains.

Dr M. Sulaiman, general physician at a Dubai-based clinic, also said there was an increase in the number of cough and cold cases, especially among children.

“I am seeing up to a 10 per cent increase in such cases since the start of this month,” he said.

“During such weather conditions, children are more prone to falling ill as they may catch the virus from close contact with infected people, especially in the schools. Children should be kept warm and they must avoid cold water and food,” he advised.

Interestingly, Qasimi Hospital in Sharjah reported a drop in accident cases in the emergency department.

“Since the roads are flooded, people are driving slowly within the city and the number of cases related to road accidents have been lesser than usual,” said a source at the hospital.

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