Faculty, staff and students of the Aga Khan University (AKU) have donated Rs five million to help the relief efforts in the flood-affected areas.
The amount will support the University’s 13 healthcare camps and mobile units that have provided care to over 10,000 people in the affected areas in Matiari, Thatta, Dadu, Badin, Qambar Shahdadkot, Sanghar, Naushahro Feroze, Lasbella, Qila Abdullah and Jafferabad since last week.
“We may face new challenges when the water recedes, for example, the spread of diseases which has already started and hence our fellow citizens may need our support for months. Funds raised by AKU community and supporters will not only enable our teams to continue existing operations but also plan for more camps in the next several weeks,” said AKU President Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin in his appreciation note to the University community for their generous contributions and to the healthcare and mobile unit teams for their efforts in providing care in the affected areas.
“Whether it is a pandemic like COVID, outbreaks like typhoid and HIV or a climate crisis like these floods, being a national asset, AKU is always on the frontline when the nation needs its services,” he said.
AKU’s flood response task force led by Dr Adil Haider, Dean of AKU Medical College and Dr Shahid Shafi, Chief Executive Officer of the Aga Khan University Hospital, is working with the federal and provincial governments, local authorities and partners, including the Aga Khan Health Services, to mobilise medical experts and resources from the University’s sites and hospitals.
As the task force explores options to provide specialist training focused on water-borne and vector-borne diseases to the public health professionals, a free flood disaster treatment MasterClass certificate course for healthcare workers across the country is being organised.
AKU’s contribution is part of overall efforts by Aga Khan Development Network in Pakistan.
To help those in need, AKU has established a flood response fund.
Source: The Aga Khan University