HYDERABAD, July 15: A mission for people’s welfare may appear difficult in the beginning but it can achieve success with hard work, dedication and devotion.

This was stated by prominent playwright Fatima Surayya Bajia at the annual dinner of the Child Healthcare Welfare Association (CHWA) held here at the Gymkhana club.

Prominent citizens, doctors and artistes attended the dinner organised to devise plans for helping sick children.

Despite her age and illness, Ms Bajia made the tiring journey to Hyderabad to attend the function and motivate people to support the association’s efforts for better healthcare for children.

Bajia said that Pakistanis being large-hearted people donated generously in cash and kind whenever their brethren faced hardships caused by natural disasters in different parts of the country.

She said philanthropists and well-to-do people would surely support the cause of upgrading facilities in public sector hospitals and providing better healthcare, particularly to ailing children.

She assured the association of her full support in its efforts to improve facilities in the children’s ward of Liaquat University Hospital. She said she would ask Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and the authorities concerned to give grants to the association.

Academician Abdul Hameed Sindhi urged people in medical profession to work with passion, dedication and devotion and observe punctuality. With sincere love and care they can help patients to overcome half of their problems and increase chances of their early recovery.

He called upon philanthropists and civil society to cooperate with the association in improving childcare. Pakistan Medical Association leader Dr Hadi Bux Jatoi said effective management was key to improving services in public sector hospitals.

He hoped that efforts being made by the association would bear fruit and assured the association of his cooperation in getting the ward upgraded to an institute.

Prominent gynaecologist and writer Dr Shamim Ansari said that only those nations made progress which ensured quality education and a system of sound healthcare for children.

She stressed the need for all sections of the society to work for providing quality education and better health facilities for children.

Eminent child specialist and president of CHWA Prof Akbar Nizamani spoke about objectives of the association and short-term and immediate-term goals set by it.

He said providing free medicines, investigation, nursing care, functioning of equipment, central suction and oxygen units, nutrition for mothers and children, safe drinking water, sanitation, establishment of a paediatric ICU, indoor laboratory and X-Ray units, rest room and waiting area and an immunisation and diabetic clinic were the main tasks of the association.

With the help of doctors and civil society, he said, the association had so far provided new air conditioned triage, isolation cubes, ICU and nursery, portable X-Ray unit, baby cots, nursing counters and safe drinking water for patients. Private nursing staff had been appointed and the ward had been repaired and renovated.

But it still required facilities like laboratory, ultrasound machine, pharmacy, computerised registration system, central security system for patients, staff and parents, nutrition supply for children and mothers and a communication system for parents.

He said a state-of-the-art child health institute was needed in Hyderabad and suggested the establishment of a paediatric nursing training institute, a research and resource training centre, an ambulance service and outreach and community services.

He said the association had an account in the Civil Hospital Hyderabad branch of United Bank Limited and urged people to donate generously and deposit zakat in A/C No: 001 200 953256. —APP