KARACHI: “I had been on crutches since my childhood. It wasn’t just a physical disability. It had broken me emotionally; I often cried and thought of myself as a useless creature. Today, I can stand on my feet and dream [for a future]. This training has completely transformed my life.”

That’s how 22-year-old Navi Bai expressed her joy after receiving a certificate at a ceremony held on Tuesday at the School of Midwifery being run at the Koohi Goth General Hospital in Landhi.

Navi Bai was among 72 women, 25 from Karachi and the rest from other districts of Sindh, selected under the People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI), who successfully completed their two years of midwifery training, including six months of house job at the hospital.

The 47 women registered by the PPHI from Sukkur, Khairpur, Ghotki, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas, Kashmore and Thatta also received their appointment letters along with their certificates. They would all serve in their hometowns.

The eldest of five siblings, Bai belonged to a remote village in Mithi, part of Tharparkar district. “I am extremely thankful to the staff that helped me get free-of-cost treatment for my paralysed leg as well and showed faith in my abilities,” she added.

Sarah Junejo from Mithi, Saleemat Iqbal and Paban Sharif from Sanghar, Shehnaz Usman and Abida Parveen from Badin shared similar sentiments and spoke about their desire to serve in their hometowns, which, they said lacked facilities for education and health.

The training, they said, not only helped them get life-saving skills and employment but also provided an opportunity to learn Urdu, with which most of them were unfamiliar.

“For me, life has turned beautiful. I no more get upset at people laughing at me. Rather, I take pride in myself,” said Saira Abdul Ghafoor from Mithi, a woman who suffered from dwarfism.

Dr Shaheen Zafar, senior gynaecologist, took oath from the newly qualified midwives, who later presented guests, including Mr and Ms Faisal Edhi, Ms Imtiaz Kamal, one of the senior-most midwives in the country, and Dr Azra Ahsan, senior gynaecologist, with ajrak.

“There is no way we can save mothers’ lives in the country unless we promote midwifery and these girls would definitely play an important role to achieve this goal,” said Prof Dr Sadiqua Jaffery, while praising Dr Shershah Syed’s efforts in establishing the facility.

PPHI chief executive officer Dr Riaz Memon said that the women were selected from areas that didn’t have midwives at health facilities and that their selection was purely on merit.

“We told parents that they have to help themselves and for that they have to allow their girls to get education and training in life-saving skills,” he explained, praising parents who let their girls go to Karachi for training.

According to him, 250 basic health units have been turned into maternity homes and equipped with modern labs and ultrasound facilities in the interior parts of Sindh. The basic health units in the other districts of Sindh are performing better than Karachi’s health centres, he claimed.

“A revolution is coming; the BHUs are working round-the-clock and free-of-charge medical services are being provided to hundreds and thousands of patients every year,” he said, adding that a network of labs was also being established in the province.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2017