Charity

July 2009: Sub-committee on chairty goals of KEMCA UK

KEMCA UK is pleased to inform you that during most recent AGM of KEMCA UK, goals for KEMCA UK’s charitable work goals were considered. It was approved that a sub-committee comprising Hafiz Ur Rehman, Hashim Raza and Nadeem Akram Buttshould consider different goals and present its suggestions to KEMCA executive committee. Sub committee is open for suggestions by all kemcolians and public. If you have any views on charitable work of KEMCA UK, please share with us.

March 2009: Charity Status for KEMCA UK                      

It is a matter of great pleasure to announce that Charity Commission UK has granted KEMCA UK a charity organisatiostatus. Alhamdulillah! It was possible with efforts by all executive committee members especially Dr Hafiz ur Rehman, our Treasurer who had put special effort to make it happen.  Let us work together to use this platform for charity work in future.  KEMCA UK is now official platform for kemcolians for combined charitable work. It is a great pride for KEMCA UK that many of its members have been actively involved in many charitable causes inside and outside UK. Registered Name: KING EDWARD MEDICAL COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF THE UK Registration Number: 1128345.       

March 2009: An experience of charity work in Pakistan           

It is a great pride for KEMCA UK that many of its members have been actively involved in many charitable causes inside and outside UK. Such an example is Dr Anwar ul Haq, a Kemcolian and Consultant ophthalmologist. He wrote to kemca after his recent experience at one of hospitals in Burewala, Pakistan.           

…Month of February I was in Burewalaa. The hospital I work in, is called Jannat Aziz Eye Hospital. The hospital is near Gagoo Mandi in tehsil Burewala. (www.jannatazizhospital.org). This time we had one day’s conference in the hospital. Beyond 50 delegates turned up including Prof. Lateef Chaudhry and his son who is a Vitreoretinal surgeon and a number of others from Nishter and Lahore medical colleges and private sector.   There are 3 fulltime paid consultants and a number of paramedics who are locally trained working as male nurses. The hospital is owned by a Manchester businessman Mian Manzoor who comes from that part of the country. The hospital is free for those who are unable to pay. About 150 patients attend daily and about 10 surgical procedures are performed 6 days a week. This time one of my assistants Peter Andrew who is now a clinical Nurse Manager and Trust Ophthalmic  Business Development Officer in Lanarkshire Acute NHS Trust went with me for 3 weeks. Peter taught the paramedics about sterilisation procedures and commissioned the the equipment which was lying in store since we shipped it to the hospital in last summer.Although I am retired from the NHS I still do Corneal Refractive Surgery in a private clinic in Glasgow, only a couple of days a week. I still examine the FRCS at The Royal College Of Surgeons in Glasgow. I hope you keep well.

Anwar.  

ARCHIVE

         KEMCA UK has been actively supporting various charities in the UK and overseas. Below are few such recent activities. In the Annual Meeting held on 16 th September 2006 a charity fund was raised for the Midlands Doctors Association UK. In the Annual Meeting held on 23 rd July 2007 a charity fund was raised for the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital Lahore.

Arif Zaheer Memorial Fund           

Unfortunately summer of 2007 brought the sad news of Dr Arif Zaheer’s untimely death by Leukaemia. Arif Zaheer, a kemcolian, graduated in 1986/87 and was working as a consultant haematologist at Scarborough General Hospital . He would be remembered for his diligence, commitment & devotion to the profession. His close friends decided to establish a memorial fund in his memory. These friends approached KEMCA UK to assist in this noble cause. The issue was discussed at AGM of KEMCA UK held in July 2007. It was agreed to set up an adhoc committee (Dr Fawad Zaman, Dr Athar Saeed, Dr Tariq Azeem and Dr Shahid Bashir). The executive committee of the KEMCA UK has nominated Dr R Hafiz Rehman as a liaison person to look after this matter. The adhoc committee is in the process of raising funds and further report that how these funds will be spent will be available in due course.

Earthquake in Kashmir; October 2005           

October 2005 saw one of the most disastrous earthquake in Pakistan . The stories coming through the media were very heart breaking. Human eyes had never seen such a massive natural destruction. Many kemcolians including Hafiz-ur-Rehman, Reza Dar, Muhammad Rizwan-ul-Hasan, Syed Abdus Saboor, Anjum Bashir, Akmal Makhdum, Kahlid Saeed from the UK went to Pakistan to set up trauma centres, emergency care, field hospitals including provision of psychological care. They worked in close collaboration with local health teams who were involved in setting-up emergency services in the affected areas.         

Dr Rehman set up a charity collection and managed to raise nearly £10000, essential equipment and drugs. His team arrived in Rawalpindi two weeks after the earthquake. They set up a camp at the Holy Family Hospital in association with other Pakistani doctors from various medical colleges working in UK and provided free treatment to patients affected by earth quake including complex limb saving procedures etc. Their work was carried on by other teams afterwards.           

Dr Anjum Bashir visited Balkot, Mansehra just few days after the earthquake and worked with women and children who were in camps and affected psychologically with trauma. Psychological support was also given to the health care workers who were dealing with the casualties. A support programme was set up for the Red Cross volunteers who were working with the trauma victims in Manserah, Bagh and Rawalpindi.        

ETRI (Earthquake Trauma Relief Initiative) programme was set up by kemcolian psychiatrists in the UK led by Akmal Makhdum in collaboration with British Pakistani Psychiatrists Association and Royal College of Psychiatrists, London , soon after the earthquake. It was established as a community focussed plan for the psychological support of earthquake victims and included training programme for family practitioners, teachers, voluntary workers; treatment clinics and mentoring programmes.           

Free Cleft Lip and Palate Camp in Gujrat in 2005           Dr Rana Hafiz Ur Rehman, consultant in anaesthesia, Tameside General Hospital, Ashton-under-Lyme who was one of the team members from the UK which visited Pakistan to set up this free camp in Gujrat in February 2005. This camp was organised by the OPSA Overseas Plastic Surgery Appeal – OPSA (www.opsa-charity.org) in association with PCLAPA Pakistan Cleft Lip and Palate Association (PCLAPA)– www.pclapa.com. Team was fully equipped and provided free treatment during its stay for one week. They were we were hosted by Dr Ijaz Bashir who provided hospital facilities to successfully treat more than 100 patients for cleft lip, palate & other plastic surgery procedures. This charity has been operating for more than ten years and has tries to hold camps every year. Dr Rehman found this a very moving and rewarding experience.