Back to the basics
The Jam Kanda Goth hospital caters to the healthcare needs of the residents of 70 villages in Karachi
The Jam Kanda Goth hospital caters to the healthcare needs of the residents of 70 villages in Karachi. PHOTO: WWW.HANDS.ORG.PK
KARACHI:
To cater to the medical needs of the people of Karachi's villages, the government established dozens of healthcare facilities, most of which are functional on paper but in reality do little to cater to the needs of the people.
Keeping this in mind, the District Council Karachi (DCK) handed over a 'non-functional' dispensary in Jam Kanda Goth to the Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) in March 1999. Today, this dispensary provides health facilities to the residents of 70 villages.
The dispensary has been converted into a 20-bed hospital, which, according to hospital records, 6,515 patients have visited from January to March. It runs round-the-clock, unlike the healthcare facilities in nearby areas. It has its own laboratory, ultrasound and X-ray facilities, along with specialists for maternal and child healthcare. The quality healthcare provided by the hospital attracts patients from all over, even as far as Balochistan.
Read: Monitoring unit lifts lid on dismal state of health care
"Our major focus is on the mother and child," pointed out Khalil Wadhelo, the district executive manager of HANDS. "It is a blessing for the people of these villages to have a hospital located nearby," he explained. Wadhelo said that qualified doctors are always available, providing treatment to the people without any discrimination.
According to medical officer, Dr Rukhsana, at least 60 female patients visit her per shift, every day. "Women come [to the hospital] from far flung areas, they even come from the city," she said.
"At least 50 different tests are carried out in the lab daily," said technician Nasir Rehmat. He said that due to the nominal fee charged, people from other areas also visit the Jam Kanda Goth hospital. In order to maintain quality, the hospital sends two random test samples to the Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi to verify that their test results are accurate.
Enclosed with green fields, away from noise and environmental pollution, the dozens of families visiting the facility are a testament to the hospital's reputation. "It is matter of supervision and monitoring," Wadhelo explained. "The government hospitals lack these two things."
"I have been visiting this hospital for the past 10 years," said Ghulam Hussain, explaining that the hospital provides support in case of all conceivable emergencies. He stated that it was not possible for the people of Malir to have access to better health facilities due to the absence of proper transportation.
An ambulance is always available at the hospital, said Wadhelo. "We haven't closed the hospital, even for a second, since it was given to us," he said proudly.
The area's MNA and minister of state for communication, Abdul Hakeem Baloch, who was once the chairperson of the DCK, initiated the handing over of the hospital to HANDS in 1999.
"The dispensary was almost non-functional. It wasn't a complete health facility," Baloch shared. "It is almost a complete hospital now and is a thousand times better than public hospitals," he added.
Speaking about the government hospitals' capacity and quality, Baloch gave the example of Saleh Muhammad Goth hospital and Memon Goth hospital, two healthcare facilities relatively nearby. "These hospitals don't provide quality healthcare to the area's residents. This [Jam Kanda Goth] hospital is an example for government hospitals to learn from."
Read: Hospital to be set up at police lines
Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2015.
To cater to the medical needs of the people of Karachi's villages, the government established dozens of healthcare facilities, most of which are functional on paper but in reality do little to cater to the needs of the people.
Keeping this in mind, the District Council Karachi (DCK) handed over a 'non-functional' dispensary in Jam Kanda Goth to the Health and Nutrition Development Society (HANDS) in March 1999. Today, this dispensary provides health facilities to the residents of 70 villages.
The dispensary has been converted into a 20-bed hospital, which, according to hospital records, 6,515 patients have visited from January to March. It runs round-the-clock, unlike the healthcare facilities in nearby areas. It has its own laboratory, ultrasound and X-ray facilities, along with specialists for maternal and child healthcare. The quality healthcare provided by the hospital attracts patients from all over, even as far as Balochistan.
Read: Monitoring unit lifts lid on dismal state of health care
"Our major focus is on the mother and child," pointed out Khalil Wadhelo, the district executive manager of HANDS. "It is a blessing for the people of these villages to have a hospital located nearby," he explained. Wadhelo said that qualified doctors are always available, providing treatment to the people without any discrimination.
According to medical officer, Dr Rukhsana, at least 60 female patients visit her per shift, every day. "Women come [to the hospital] from far flung areas, they even come from the city," she said.
"At least 50 different tests are carried out in the lab daily," said technician Nasir Rehmat. He said that due to the nominal fee charged, people from other areas also visit the Jam Kanda Goth hospital. In order to maintain quality, the hospital sends two random test samples to the Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi to verify that their test results are accurate.
Enclosed with green fields, away from noise and environmental pollution, the dozens of families visiting the facility are a testament to the hospital's reputation. "It is matter of supervision and monitoring," Wadhelo explained. "The government hospitals lack these two things."
"I have been visiting this hospital for the past 10 years," said Ghulam Hussain, explaining that the hospital provides support in case of all conceivable emergencies. He stated that it was not possible for the people of Malir to have access to better health facilities due to the absence of proper transportation.
An ambulance is always available at the hospital, said Wadhelo. "We haven't closed the hospital, even for a second, since it was given to us," he said proudly.
The area's MNA and minister of state for communication, Abdul Hakeem Baloch, who was once the chairperson of the DCK, initiated the handing over of the hospital to HANDS in 1999.
"The dispensary was almost non-functional. It wasn't a complete health facility," Baloch shared. "It is almost a complete hospital now and is a thousand times better than public hospitals," he added.
Speaking about the government hospitals' capacity and quality, Baloch gave the example of Saleh Muhammad Goth hospital and Memon Goth hospital, two healthcare facilities relatively nearby. "These hospitals don't provide quality healthcare to the area's residents. This [Jam Kanda Goth] hospital is an example for government hospitals to learn from."
Read: Hospital to be set up at police lines
Dr Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed, chief executive of HANDS Pakistan and HANDS International, said that the health infrastructure in the 1980s was much better than today's, from basic health units to major teaching hospitals. "Unfortunately, due to the deteriorated primary structure, the burden on tertiary care facilities has increased," he explained. Ahmed said that an improvement in bigger hospitals only can be achieved with functioning health facilities in rural areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2015.