KARACHI, Nov 24: The faculty of Eastern Medicine, Hamdard University has established a primary eye clinic in collaboration with the Layton Rehmatullah Benevolent Trust (LRBT) at the Shifaul Mulk Memorial Hospital at the Madinatal Hikmah, Karachi.

At the facility in question, free treatment of eye diseases will be provided to the villagers, located in the vicinity of the Madinatal Hikmah.

N. Saqib Hameed, managing trustee and chief executive officer of the LRBT inaugurated the eye clinic on Nov 23.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, presided over by the president of the Hamdard Foundation Pakistan, Sadia Rashid at the Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology (FEST) auditorium, Saqib Hameed said that the LRBT would provide all necessary expertise to the eye clinic established by the Hamdard to provide eye care facility to the area people particularly to the villagers.

He said that the LRBT was founded by two successful businessmen, the late Graham Layton, an Englishman who became a Pakistani citizen and by the late Zaka Rahmatullah in 1984. Since its inception, the LRBT has grown rapidly from a mobile unit to 38 eye care facilities, including 11 modern eye hospitals, he added.

Prof Iqbal Qureshi, vice-chancellor, Hamdard University said that by inaugurating the newly founded primary eye clinic, in collaboration with the LRBT, we were promoting the noble missions of the founding fathers of our organizations.

Prof Dr Hakim Abdul Hannan, dean, faculty of Eastern Medicine, HU said that there was no eye clinic far and near in this area and a need of eye clinic was badly needed.

So, Hamdard decided to start the eye clinic in order to provide free eye care treatment to the people of the surrounding villages, he added.

Vote of thanks was offered by Dr Usman Ghani Khan.

Dr Haroon Rasheed, consultant ophthalmologist of LRBT, other doctors, hakims, village elders, faculty members and students of the Hamdard University attended the inaugural ceremony.

The primary eye clinic started functioning on the same day and more than 50 patients received medical attention.—PPI