Overeating forces medics to work more night shifts
Medical experts in Oman have advised people not to overeat at Iftar and Suhoor
MUSCAT: More doctors have been put on emergency night shift duty to cope with the rising number of people falling sick after eating too much.
Health experts in Oman have advised people not to over indulge at Iftar during the Holy Month of Ramadan, but many tend to overeat in between Iftar and Suhoor which makes them sick.
“We have deployed more doctors on duty at the emergency department and more staff after Iftar,” said Dr Basheer, who is senior internist and diabetologist at Badr Al Sama Hospital in Ruwi.
Debraj Sanyal, Group Chief Operating Officer, Apollo Hospital, Muscat, said they have changed their clinic timings from 6.30pm to 10.30pm as most of the patients tend to come in the evenings.
“Besides that we are also calling more doctors at night to the emergency department when required,” he told Times of Oman on Sunday.
Doctors at Atlas Hospital, Ruwi also said that they are seeing an increase in people seeking medical help during Ramadan compared to last year.
Dr Munnv Zain Muneer, a gen- eral practitioner at the Atlas Hospital, said at night the hospital was treating mostly people who had been fasting and had eaten too much food and were in pain. “But during the day, we are getting adults who are seeking help for heat-related complaints,” Muneer said.
Severe pain
Dr Muneer warned against eating salty junk and fried foods after fasting because they could lead to severe stomach pains.
On average, three patients are treated every night during Ramadan at Atlas Hospital alone.
Although there were no reports of fatalities the hospital was in the process of recruiting specialist doctors to deal with problems related to fasting and heat exhaus- tion. Dr Basheer also said most of the patients are suffering from throat infections and constipation after eating too much. “I am seeing around five to six cases per day,” he said.
Sharp increase
With some residents choosing to eat large quantities of fast food, fizzy drinks and sugary snacks once they’ve broken their fast and well into the early hours of the morning, doctors are seeing a sharp increase in the number of cases which feature symptoms that are caused because of binge eating.
“In the entire month of Ramadan, I receive about 250 patients who complain about all sorts of digestive disorders,” said Dr. Basheer.