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| November 18, 2005 | Friday | Shawwal 15, 1426 |
Pakistani-Swedish brings 147 huge thermal tents
ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: A Pakistan-origin Swedish woman Saema Beg has brought 147 huge thermal tents from Sweden for establishing tent schools and hospitals in earthquake-hit areas of Azad Kashmir and North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Talking to Dawn she vowed to set up a well-equipped 100-bed hospital in a devastated area to provide better medical care to the affected people.
Ms Saema Beg, a student of Ph.D Medical in Sweden said, these tents had special characteristic of cold resistance as they could be used even in minus 20 centigrade temperature because of in-built heating system.
The cost of each tent, which can house 30 people, was stated to be $500 and they were not for residential purposes, she said.
Ms Beg had met several ministers so that the tents she had brought from Sweden, could be used in befitting manner.
“We have also talked to Chief Relief Commissioner Maj-Gen Farooq Ahmed Khan and told him about the tents. He lauded our efforts of bringing the tents in the time of need,” she said.
She said she was in Sweden but felt the pain of her countrymen when the strongest tremor ruined Northern Areas of the country on October 8.
From the next day, she formed an NGO with the name Scandinavian Help Effort (SHE) and started fund raising. “With the help of 150 workers about $200,000 were collected mostly donated by overseas Pakistanis, Scandinavian people and NGOs,” she added.
“I did a lot of research and work to find the tents, which are compatible to the climate of quake-hit areas. Finally I found thermal tents from Swedish army and I purchased 147 pieces,” she said.
After buying tents from the Swedish army, she could not get any plan to bring them to Pakistan therefore she sought help of Swedish government which hired a cargo plane of Russia for transportation on its expenses.
The cargo flight, she said, landed at Islamabad Airport after 48 hours due to long route, she said.
Talking about establishment of the hospital, she said, the plan would be discussed with the authorities concerned so that it could be set up at appropriate place.
She said Swedish doctors and para-medical staff would start the hospital and trained the local doctors on modern lines, and finally the hospital would be run by the local people.
Talking about the cost of the hospital, she said it had yet to be estimated but the project would take at least two years for completion.
She said her organisation would continue to raise funds in Sweden to bear the running expenses of the hospital. “The government of Sweden has also assured us that it will help financially for running the hospital,” she added.
Ms Beg said she had also purchased 5,000 sleeping bags for the displaced people of Azad Kashmir but she would bring them later on.
She said she had visited many devastated areas to assess the loss and what is required there.
“The most important thing is that people should have to remember the tragedy of October 8 and keep in their minds that quake-affected people in Azad Kashmir and NWFP will need monetary and moral help till the process of reconstruction is completed there,” she urged.
Talking about her plan to set up a 100-bed hospital in quake-hit area, she said as Sweden was quite advance in the field of medical science and pharmaceuticals, therefore, she would import modern equipment for the hospital from there. “But I would prefer purchasing other material from the local market to help local pharmaceutical and medical instruments industry,” she maintained.
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