FAISALABAD: Business community of Faisalabad has played a leading role in humanitarian and charity service while construction of a new state-of-the-art Canal View Hospital would open new avenues of quality health services in this city, said Divisional Commissioner Zahid Hussain.
He was addressing after performing the ground breaking ceremony of the hospital here.
He said that local philanthropists have already set up a comprehensive network of health and education services in addition to the other welfare projects in this city. “A large number of people belonging to the low socioeconomic class are harvesting benefits from these hospitals, dispensaries and schools, etc”, he said and added that charity is actually a business with Allah, the Almighty, and Allah alone is sufficient to give a befitting reward of their investment in this sector.
He said that because of philanthropic work of traders, their businesses are flourishing at a much faster pace. He said that the government was also trying to facilitate the deprived segments of the society but the active role of the community is imperative to get the required results. He particularly mentioned shelter houses to accommodate the poor who had to spend their nights under open sky in parks or green belts. He said that he has allocated four vehicles of Faisalabad Urban Transport to provide free transport facility to these people and shift them from the green belts to the shelter homes where they would be provided free food and comfortable bedding. He particularly mentioned the Aziz Fatima Trust (AFT) and said that its scope starts from where the capacity of an ordinary donor ends.
Mian Muhammad Idrees, Managing Trustee AFT and Chairman Sitara Group, said that his elders were committed to serve the ailing humanity. “They not only donated generously but also motivated others to follow the suit”, he said and added that the legacy of Haji Abdul Ghafoor and Haji Bashir Ahmad is continuing in their third generation with the same spirit and zeal. He said that apart from Zakat, they have allocated a fixed percentage from their income for the have-nots and this amount has been utilized to run various welfare projects in addition to helping the needy segments of the society. He said that this amount regularly is transferred to the concerned heads by 10th of each month.
About the hospital, he said that it would have 450 beds with modern medical and diagnostic facilities. He said that the hospital would have 17 storeys with a covered area of 4,85,000 sq feet.
Atif Munir Sheikh, President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI), speaking as guest of honour, lauded the efforts of Sitara Group and said that founders of this leading organization had served this city in addition to their own business activities. He termed their services as Sadqa-e-Jaria, adding many generations to come would avail the benefit from their projects. He termed that establishment of Canal View Hospital is a new and innovative step in the provision of quality health services of international level. “It would also attract new investment in this vital segment of human health”, he said and added that this generation has organized charity work on the most modern scientific lines so that its benefits could be transmitted really to the needy and deserving people.
He quoted his meeting with the former Prime Minister during his visit to Faisalabad and said that he had rightly pointed out the need for the construction of an international level medical facility and a theme park in this city.
Later the Divisional Commissioner performed the ground breaking ceremony and also prayed for the success of this new venture of AFT.
Mian Javed Iqbal of Sitara Energy, Mian Muhammad Anees, Mian Imran Ghafoor, Mian Abdullah Javed and Mian Hamza Bashir were also present.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022