AKU's healthcare camps distribute medicines of Rs 120 million

KARACHI: As tens of thousands of flood-affected individuals arrive in Karachi, the local authority partners with Aga Khan University (AKU) to ease their placement in relief camps.

The meeting was held by Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin, President, AKU, Muhammad Iqbal Memon, Commissioner, Karachi, and other government officials.

Dr Shahabuddin stated that AKU teams collaborate with the federal and provincial governments, local authorities, and other Aga Khan Development Network institutions to help flood relief operations throughout the country.

The AKU Flood Response Task Force and Commissioner of Karachi, Muhammad Iqbal Memon, visited the relief camps to assess the needs of those impacted by the flood and to provide the required medical supplies.

Commissioner of Karachi, Muhammad Iqbal Memon, while distributing AKU supplies at a flood relief camp in Sachal Goth, Karachi, along with the AKU task force leads Dr Adil Haider, Dean of the AKU Medical College, and Dr Shahid Shafi, Chief Executive Officer of the Aga Khan University Hospital, stated, "We appreciate the Aga Khan University and other public and private institutions for contributing to the government's flood relief efforts."

In 22 Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AKU's healthcare camps and mobile units have offered care to over 80,000 individuals and supplied medications worth over Rs 120 million.

Eighty thousand individuals visited the camps, 23,000 women of reproductive age, 2,700 were pregnant, and 19,000 children under five.  Over 6,000 youngsters were vaccinated routinely.

Most AKU camp patients suffer from diarrhoea, dehydration, respiratory illnesses, malaria, dengue, and skin issues.

In addition, the AKU task force organises free capacity-building sessions for healthcare personnel operating in the impacted areas, which are attended by approximately 4,000 individuals from around the nation.

AKU's healthcare camps and distribution of medications and healthcare-related materials are financed by donations from benevolent donors and contributions from the university's teachers, staff, students, and supporters.