Turkey’s aid agency launches mobile clinics in Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan

Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), in collaboration with King Abdullah Foundation (KAF) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), launched eight mobile clinics in Pakistan on Friday.

The launching ceremony held in the capital Islamabad was attended by Javed Mirza, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s adviser for health, Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, IDB President Bandar Hajjar, IHH Deputy Chairman Yavuz Dede, and NGO’s other top representatives apart from a good number of foreign diplomats and guests.

Speaking at the ceremony, the health adviser said that the IHH in collaboration with the IDB and KAF is bringing a total of 15 mobile clinics to Pakistan, of which 8 were being put into service immediately.

"We have the chance to provide quality health services to the people of the country’s several underdeveloped areas through these mobile clinics”, Mirza said, adding: “Our country cannot achieve prosperity if we do not provide basic health services to our people”.

The mobile clinics, he observed, would serve this purpose.

Mirza, on behalf of the prime minister, thanked the IHH and the two donors for provision of quality health services to the people of Pakistan through mobile clinics.

Program Manager Ahmed Salih Hariri, who carried out the mobile clinics project under the umbrella of IDB, mentioned that all the mobile clinics were fully equipped with the latest medical facilities including operation room, pharmacy and x-ray center. Besides, he added, that the mobile clinics would be operated through solar energy.

Hariri said that the clinic’s capacity would be increased with the passage of time. In addition to that, he added, medical education and internship opportunities will also be offered to Pakistani students in future.

IHH Deputy Chairman Yavuz Dede said that the project was co-financed by the KAF and coordinated by the IDB.

He said the mobile clinics would consist of an operation room, a delivery room, 3 polyclinic rooms, a pharmacy and an x-ray room. All these services will be free of cost, he maintained.