THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF MOBILE HEALTH UNITS TOWARDS THE HEALTH CARE OF PATIENTS

HOPE – A Health NGO in Pakistan is currently operating two Mobile Health Units (MHU), in partnership with Asia Petroleum Limited (APL). These MHU serve 20 plus villages, which are located in the slum areas of Karachi, Pipri up to the villages in Hub Baluchistan, where no one caters towards the medical issues of the population living in these areas. 

These Mobile Health Units (MHU) provide primary healthcare facilities to patients in these areas and the surrounding villages these facilities include appropriate medical care, consultation and provision of medications free of cost. 

The common illnesses which are usually highlighted and diagnosed are diarrhea, respiratory tract infections, gastroenteritis, vomiting and malnutrition. Each Mobile health unit consists of a qualified doctor, a dispenser and a driver. The unit offers free consultation, treatment and medicines. 

Some of the villages which the MHU teams visit include Sumar Goth, Kachra Kundi, Kaldu Goth, Hayyat Goth, Long Goth, Mulladad Goth, Shiri Goth, Sawan Goth, Lasharhi Goth, Jumma Goth etc. 

On the visit to each location more than 60+ patients are treated, at some of these goths even 100+ patients are treated. The patients consist of men, women and children. 

Well qualified Doctors and staff from Karachi operate these Mobile Health on a rotational basis. The doctors set up “clinics” in the houses of volunteers from the local communities and treat the disadvantaged population, comprising mainly of women and children. 

Through this mobile medical facility which is being provided by HOPE – An NGO in Pakistan, the patients who do not have access to clinics nearby within their vicinity, take utter advantage of this facility, as they do not have to travel far off distances to seek medical attention. The concept of the Mobile Health Unit in these rural slums has been a huge blessing to the people living in these areas. 

Medicines and treatments are provided to over 80,000 patients annually without charging them any fees. Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla - A child Specialist in Karachi, has always done her best in providing better and improved health facilities to the rural, underprivileged people throughout Pakistan.

Inauguration of Chikaar MCH Centre

Health care in remote areas is a real challenge. This is specially true for remote mountainous areas. Poverty, harsh weather conditions, poor infra structure, poorly built roads make these areas  in accessible. As a result people specially women and children are unable to access health care. Women chiefly suffer from pregnancy related complications or gynae and obstetric problems. Children suffer from diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition. The people suffer from these ailments for a long time. AS no health care facility is available in these areas local quacks wrongly diagnose and treat the problem. There are many unwanted deaths due to this.

HOPE – NGO in Pakistan has come forward by setting up a heath care centre in Muradabad Goth in District Chikaar. Around 2 hours from Muzaffarabad on a treacherous road about 5000 feet above sea level. The HOPE MCHC Centre has been set up with the collaboration of the Health Department Government of AJK, HOPE and the Community. The space for the MCHC Centre has been provided by the community. The MCHC Centre was inaugurated by Mr. Zeeshan Haider, Member of Nation Assembly and Dr. Tahir Awan District Health Officer of Department of Health AJK. Many community notables and elders attended the ceremony. A plaque was inaugurated. 

The health care personnel including Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla- Child Specialist in Karachi herself examined many patients. In addition, blankets and warm clothes were distributed to the community. This included jackets, sweaters etc. Food in the form of Biryani was distributed to the community. HOPE health NGO in Pakistan by setting up this health Centre is providing quality health care to the poor and downtrodden community of the area.

HOPE DEMONSTRATES HOW TO PURIFY DRINKING WATER AT MUZAFFARABAD – DAY 2

Billions of people around the world are continuing to suffer from poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene, some 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safe managed drinking water services.

Contaminated water isn’t just unhealthy it is life taking, which leads to diarrheal diseases like cholera. Tens of millions of others are seriously infected by a host of water-related ailments many of which are easily preventable.

HOPE - An NGO in Pakistan, has a team which is assigned specifically for this project, who visit different slum areas of Pakistan to distribute water purifying kits and sachets along with the demonstration on how it is prepared and on how to use it correctly. As it rains in Muzaffarabad the water becomes muddy and dirty. Drinking this water leads to diarrhea and water borne infections.

On the 26^th of January HOPEs team visited various areas of Muzaffarabad where the population is deprived of clean drinking water, one of the areas on the list was Satellite Town, which is highly deprived of clean drinking water. The demonstration was attended by 75 village women, children and elders. Each family there was provided with a purifying kit that consisted of the following items:

• ·        Cooler
• ·        Bucket
• ·        Muslin Cloth
• ·        Spatula
• ·        Pur sachets

These kits were distributed among 30 plus families in the village Satellite Town, Muzaffarabad, each family has an approximate of 8-10 members. Each family was given 3-4 boxes of Pur Sachet; each box consists of 240 Pur Sachets. 

Besides the demonstration of clean drinking water to the community at Muzaffarabad HOPE – An NGO in Pakistan, also distributed jeans pants, blankets, sweaters and biryani among the locals.  Keeping in view the freezing temperatures in the vicinity, the people were very happy to receive the warm clothes and blankets.

Under the leadership of Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla – A Child Specialist in Karachi, her aim is to benefit the community, while making clean water accessible for all, hence, reducing the illnesses, especially among children. In addition, this will also provide an opportunity to improve the standards of living and better immunity.

HOPE SPREADS HAPPINESS AMONG THE STUDENTS AT KASHMIR

Azad Jammu and Kashmir, abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, Azad Kashmir, established in 1947 after the partition of India, is neither a province nor an agency of Pakistan, but has a government of its own that is regarded by Pakistan as “independent,” even though it is protected by and economically and administratively linked to Pakistan. It has an area of approximately 650 square miles (1,680 square km)

Azad Jammu and Kashmir is a mountainous area comprising of various districts, located in the northern areas of Pakistan. These areas are underdeveloped and in much need of educational and proper health care facilities. On the other hand, illiteracy here has a drastically high ratio and if and educational institutions exist, the harsh weather makes it impossible to reach there.

In order to cater to this situation HOPE - An Educational NGO in Pakistan, has extend a helping hand towards the deserving community of Kashmir, by establishing formal and informal Schools at multiple point throughout AJK. Some of the schools are till tenth grade while the others are Primary Schools.

HOPE’s team visited the schools of Gharidupatta on the 25^th of January in order to monitor its operations and functions. The visits include distribution of various gift items such as school bags, pencil boxes, jeans pants, cotton pants, uppers. The Teacher were given warm shawls. Furthermore, food items such as biryani and juice were given to the students and teachers. Such gestures encourage the children and make them feel loved. The team interacts with the students and teachers to learn more about them.

HOPE – An NGO in Pakistan, reaches out to all those who no one reaches out to. These schools are giving free and quality education to the poor children, who cannot even afford to have a sweater or a single pair of jeans to prevent themselves from cold even in extreme weather. Hence, each year HOPE's team under the supervision of Dr. Mubina Agboatwalla - A Child Specialist in Karachi, visits the schools in Kashmir and distributes food items as well as warm clothing to the poor children studying there.