Turkish aid agency sets up medical facility in Karachi

Operation theatre will be used for surgeries of children born with cleft lip and palate

Turkey's state-run aid agency, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA), has set up a medical facility in Karachi for the surgeries of children born with cleft lip and palate.

The specialised operation theater has been set up at Al Mustafa Medical Centre - a charity hospital run by a local non-governmental organisation.

Up to 1,000 surgeries will be performed annually at the facility, according to a statement issued by the TIKA.

TIKA coordinator Ibrahim Katirci, Al Mustafa Medical Centre founder Haji Muhammad Hanif Tayyab and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail inaugurated the facility.

Read Turkish aid agency sets up medical facility in Pakistan

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Ismail thanked the TIKA and the Turkish government for setting up the facility for needy children.

"Pakistan and Turkey's friendship is exemplary and will keep on flourishing in the days to come," he said.

Katirci said the establishment of the medical facility was aimed at enabling children born with cleft lip and palate to live a normal life.

Tayyab also thanked the TIKA and the Turkish government for their contribution to "the noble cause".

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2021.