MANAMA: More than 1,300 people needed treatment at a Qatari hospital after suffering from stomach upsets caused by excessive eating on the first two days of Eid Al-Adha, the feast of the Sacrifice.
Qatari media said that the emergency unit of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) on Sunday, the first day of Eid, treated more than 550 patients with most of them complaining of severe stomach upsets, including colitis and diarrhea.
The turnout of patients at the emergency unit on Monday was a record 767 between 6am and 6pm, and again, most of the cases involved stomach and related ailments, some of them being quite severe, Qatari daily The Peninsula reported on Tuesday.
Doctors said the excessive eating of fat mutton and the tendency to eat fast cause indigestion and stomach upsets.
People began pouring into the emergency unit from early Sunday afternoon with most of them complaining of stomach ailments and their number rose significantly on Monday.

                                                      ********************************************

  Richest in per capita beats even the poorest in per capita

As per International Monetary Fund (IMF) 2010 rating, Qatar tops in the world with 88,222 international dollars per person followed by Luxembourg and Singapore at 81,466 and 56,694 respectively while on the poorest side  Congo leads with 321 per person whereas Liberia comes next with a  figure of 396. Having said so it is more unbelievable than surprising to read what Gulf News reported that 1,300 were taken to hospital in Qatar during first two days (Sunday+Monday) of Eid ul Adha due to over eating. How it could happen and that too nowhere else than Qatar, is very much at least unheard by me if not unprecedented?

Generally speaking, someone who is starving, not just hungry, if given food may possibly overeat not because that he intentionally wished to do like that but because of the circumstances he may act alike and overeat fearing that he may not get anything to eat again for some time. This starving person may also eat very fast, speedier than any normal person but again for certain simple cogent reasons and not otherwise. Every sane person behaves quite normally irrespective of the gender, age, education, profession, location, color, caste, creed ethnicity, time, day and religion and therefore there is no need to report such normal behavior in any news but when it happens contrary to it like this one then of course it must be flashed in the media for the knowledge of others.

Highest per capita income itself speaks aloud that in the given situation each person earns maximum money at global level which in other words means that none earns more than the person under reference hence it is proved that a Qatari individual earns maximum money which none else can claim or boast of whether living in nearby oil exporting sister countries or those 6 countries bracketed as Super Powers. Interestingly even the richest countries in the world namely USA and China with income of $ 14,660, 000, 000, 000 and 10,090, 000, 000, 000 respectively cannot even come near to Qatar what to talk of superseding it. Per capita incomes proves that the individual has lot of money to spend and can spend it the way he/she likes but quite obviously eating food comes first on the list of basic human necessities since unless and until the person eats food his/her own life survival is in danger. None can dispute with me not only in Qatar, the place which is in the news or for that matter Kuwait, the place I am living since 1978 and writing it from or Pakistan, the country I belong to that each internationally speaking each individual eats three principal meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) each day if one can afford otherwise one meal, if not two meals, a day is the bare minimum to keep the body alive.

Qataris if not due to their natural physical requirement then must be because of economic affluence they quite naturally be eating something in between their three daily principal meals also which is quite understandable and many others too inhabiting in different countries around the globe do alike if they can afford. It is very commonly observed by all of us in each country and that too on daily basis which does not need any explanation, or for that matter, any academic discussion that when someone has extra money then the person feels like eating something before or after principal meals. Money itself generates extra will to eat and drink and it is applicable to Qataris as well. This, however, proves on its own that it is just next to impossible to find any Qatari empty belly at any given time of a day.

This is a fact and not fiction which all of us without any exception whatsoever have experienced not once but countless times that even after eating full meal, one can eat something additional too just after the meal or a bit later but still the person is inflicted with over eating. Human body has some capacity and provision to accept more than a meal if needed and, therefore, if anyone after eating full meal sees any mouth-watering dish whether sweet or salty he simply cannot resist eating it but still he remains as normal as before and not bogged down by over eating. Qataris’

body chemistry and biological systems must be exactly the same like yours or even mine which means that they too very much fall within the permissible limits and can also very comfortably accommodate any extra quantity of food taken by them but without upsetting their digestive system but alas it didn’t happen as such and instead they were rushed to hospitals for medical treatment.

Rubber is a stretchable material which does stretch if someone wishes to stretch but remember that there is some limit to what extent it can be stretched and remain intact without any breakage and of course if it is being stretched beyond the permissible limits then it will eventually break off. What perplexes me the most and I have utterly failed to comprehend and figure out as to how much Qataris could eat on 1^st day and 2^nd day of eid and why? Prisoners, is the only category I can think of, or you add another one, who can be forced to eat extra under command and threat and disobedience to the orders could invite more severe punishment entailing bodily injuries hence the poor inmates will prefer to eat extra rather than happily accepting to be injured instead. Referring to the earlier paragraphs it is proved beyond any shadow of doubt that each human can eat over and above the normal quantity without upsetting the digestive system and Qataris do fall under the same human category so how and why they are being discussed in news is a baffling question? How and why more people were reported sick on the second day is another question? When did it happen in the past and where is yet another question?

Can’t it be recorded and enlisted as one of the entries to be in Guinness World Records Book is my last question?

                                  **********************

With my honest and solemn prayers