Helping hands: Even the heat can’t beat Karachi’s spirit of volunteerism

NGOs, students, servicemen set up camps to provide relief to heatstroke victims

KARACHI: Waqas Naveen became a victim to the very condition he had come out to help others against. The thin 25-year-old student of Iqra University was rushed to the emergency ward at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JMPC) on a stretcher.

No medical staff were, however, free to attend to him. It was then that some of the journalists present at the ward took over and applied ice cubes under his arms to cool him down.

Where the Sindh government and its functionaries seem to be engaging in their usual rhetoric, the mantle of helping the heatstroke victims has been taken up by non-governmental organisations, students of various universities and the Pakistan army.

Naveen, along with his friends from the varsity, started collecting cash and kind at their campus early in the morning. They then made their way to the JPMC armed with juices, ice cubes, mineral water bottles and towels. Little had Naveen known that he would end up becoming one of the victims only a few hours after standing in the sun.

Read: Death toll from deadly heatwave crosses 700



When he gained consciousness after some time, Naveen told The Express Tribune that he couldn't see people die of the heat, which was why he had decided to leave the comfort of his home and help out those who were in the sun. "Once I get my energy back, I will go back to helping them," he murmured.

NGO Pakistan Relief Foundation (PRF) had also set up camp just outside the JPMC. The chairperson, Haleem Adil Sheikh, said they had established the camp the night before and would stay there until every patient of heatstroke at the hospital was treated. Sheikh lamented that the government was indifferent to the sufferings of the people and it had now become their responsibility to help residents.

Huma Waseem, one of the volunteers at the PRF camp, told The Express Tribune that despite the fast, their team was working non-stop to provide relief to the patients. According to her, they had not rested for a single minute since setting up the camp as people had been thronging the make-shift facility to quench their thirst. "We have ice cubes, juices, water bottles and medicines in our camp and we are continuously in coordination with the JPMC staff," she said, adding that two of their volunteers had fainted due to the prevailing heat. Waseem stressed, however, that the harsh weather conditions would not break their resolve. "If we too absolve ourselves of this responsibility, where will these patients go?" she asked, urging the public to donate as many cold water bottles to them as they can.

Read: National Stadium Karachi’s assistant curator dies due to heat wave

"Water is the main requirement; we can't do anything about the weather, but at least we can provide the sufferers relief with cold water," she maintained.

Another camp at the JPMC was set up by the army, which was also thronged by the general public. According to Naib Subedar Atiq Ahmed, the army medical camp is offering ORS, filtered and cold drinking water, along with juices and medicines. "Around 1,400 people have sought help from our camp since this morning," he said.

The head of the JPMC's emergency section, Dr Seemin Jamali told The Express Tribune that since Karachi has never experienced this kind of extreme weather, people are unaware of how to tackle the heat. She urged people not to go out unnecessarily and also asked the elderly and weak to abstain from fasting.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2015.