To provide better health facility to under-dogged and deserving people, the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) and Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) have agreed to set up a modern health centre in Rawalpindi or Attock. This was decided in a meeting between the RCCI President, Asad Mashhadi and Director PPAF, Dr Junaid Ahmed on Monday.
They were of the view that the proposed Basic Health Unit (BHU) will be set up in the areas having no healthcare facilities to the people. Further, they agreed that a joint committee would select any remote village for the purposed centre after visiting the site, within current week. Feasibility Report of the joint venture would be prepared until 10 of next month and on May 15 the joint committee will meet again to finalise the modalities of BHU.
Soon after finalising the modalities, the Health Minister would be invited to RCCI to discuss the project. The meeting also observed that site for proposed BHU might be in the District of Attock, where most of the displaced people moved in due to turmoil in Fata and they are in dire need of healthcare facility.
The Director PPAF, Dr Junaid told the meeting that his organisation has already been running various projects in health and education sector in remote areas of the country successfully with the community support.' It is our experience that often charity donors of the area either offer a piece of land free of cost or donate their house for such welfare schemes.
He said that five-room accommodation is usually required for setting up a basic health unit comprising of labour room, OPD, Laboratory, Dispensary and separate checkup room for women, where lady health visitor will attend them,' he added.
It was agreed in the meeting that sufficient stock of medicines will be there round the clock, as not only to provide full treatment to the patient, but also to save their precious lives in case of any emergency. The meeting also decided to involve the people of village to create wareness that better healthcare facilities would be provided to them at basic health unit.
Dr Junaid further revealed that out of over 52000 NGOs working in the country, PPAF has selected 75 on the basis of their track record and previous performance. After necessary training, they have been working shoulder to shoulder with the fund in the efforts to eliminate poverty from the society.
He said that the idea behind joining hands with corporate sector in social development was to utilise the charity donated by philanthropists and humanitarians, who give billion of rupees per annum and want to spend this amount on the welfare of humanity.