6 hours Ago By Mohammad Asem
KABUL (Pajhwok): An orthopedic specialist at the Waziri Mohammad Akbar Khan Hospital in Kabul has called traditional methods of treating fractures by bone setters dangerous, urging people to seek medical treatment at health centers for bone fracture treatment. Although healthcare services in the country, especially in Kabul, have significantly improved, and private hospitals now operate alongside government hospitals in the central and provincial areas, some people still visit bone setters for treatment of broken bones. Mohammad Haroon Najmi, a resident of Kabul, whose brother had an arm injury while playing, said that his brother had severe pain and was taken to a bone setter to treat the injury.
He believes bone setters provide effective treatment, but added that if his brother’s pain persists, he will take him to a doctor. Meanwhile, Shafi Agha, a resident of Hotkhel area in Kabul, said: “I couldn’t walk at all, and someone gave me the address to this place. First, I had back pain, and then it spread to my legs.
I’ve been facing this issue for three or four weeks, and I’ve taken medicine. I had an X-ray of my spine, which showed that the vertebrae are displaced.” He added: “I came here because people gave me address, and they say his work is good.
People say his hands have healing, and I hope that with Allah (swt)’s mercy, I will recover.” Dr. Hamid Jamal, an orthopedic specialist at Waziri Mohammad Akbar Khan Hospital, describes the treatment of bone fractures by bone setters as dangerous.
He said that he has repeatedly treated patients who initially went to bone setters and later came to the hospital with worsened conditions. He added that most of the patients are children who were taken to bone setters by their families. He emphasized: “Most of the time, patients whose bones have healed improperly, are disfigured, or even shortened, come to us after visiting bone setters.
” He recounted a painful experience from a year ago when a ten-year-old boy was brought to the hospital after his arm fracture became infected and blackened due to incorrect treatment by a bone setter, resulting in amputation. According to this specialist, patients who visit bone setters often face complications because the bone setters either fail to align the bones properly or apply excessive pressure, which leads to severe pain, improper healing, or even bone death, sometimes requiring amputation. Dr.
Jamal called on people to visit healthcare centers for the treatment of fractures, instead of relying on bone setters. Similarly, Dr. Sharafat Zaman, a spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, without offering details, said: “This [treatment by bone setters] is a cultural practice, but it lacks medical validity and often results in harm to the patient.
” People who have been harmed by bone setters Abdul Qasim, a resident of Ghor province, told Pajhwok that a week ago he had a motorcycle accident and his shoulder bone was dislocated. His family took him to a bone setter, but as the pain worsened each day, the treatment proved ineffective. Doctors at the hospital later informed him that his shoulder needed surgery because it had set incorrectly.
Similarly, Sulaiman Ahmadi, a resident of Kabul, shared his experience, saying that two months ago he broke his leg and visited a bone setter for treatment. He said that the bone setter’s treatment did not work and his leg pain worsened. “Going to the doctor is better because the doctor conducts surgery.
If bone setters were effective, I would have been healed by now. The doctor says that we need to insert screws and pins,” he added. Also, Khan Sherin, a resident of Qarabagh district in Kabul, said that one and a half years ago, he had back pain and visited a bone setter.
However, despite the visit, his condition worsened. He explained: “The bone setter was twisting my leg, but it was painful. Later, I developed a burning sensation in my leg, and the pain became severe.
” He added that the severe pain led him to visit Waziri Mohammad Akbar Khan Hospital, where tests showed that four vertebrae in his back had shifted and surgery was needed. Although he regretted his visit to the bone setter, he noted that the surgery also did not provide relief and the pain continued to intensify. Zabihullah Karbalai, a bone setter from Taimani area of Kabul, who learned the profession from his ancestors, told Pajhwok: “I treat patients with fractures, dislocations, hernias, spinal problems, shoulder, knee issues, and more.
However, if I cannot treat a patient, I advise them to see a doctor.” He said that he treats an average of 40 patients daily from Kabul and neighboring provinces. He added that his fees are not fixed, ranging from 50 afghanis to any amount that the patient can afford.
For patients who cannot pay, he sometimes provides treatment free of charge. In response to doctors’ claims that bone setters’ treatments are dangerous, Zabihullah said: “Our treatments have yielded very good results. Many fractures that were complicated and could have led to deformity or required surgery have healed with us.
If surgery had been performed, the member could have died or turned black, but patients who came to us have healed.” Similarly, Ghazi Mohammad, another bone setter from the Qala-i-Najara area of Kabul, who has been practicing for 20 years and learned the profession from his ancestors, said: “I treat patients with dislocated bones, hernias, shoulder injuries, and fractures.” He also added that about 30 patients visit him daily from Kabul and other provinces.
Regarding the claim that bone setters’ treatments are dangerous, Ghazi Mohammad replied: “There are many bone setters, and it’s true that people come to us. But we are professionally skilled. So far, by the grace of Allah, no one has complained about my method of bone setting.
” sa/ma.
