MUZAFFARABAD:In yet another gesture of generosity towards their homeland, UK-based Kashmiri expatriates have donated emergency kits for 120 basic health units (BHUs) across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

The consignment, valued at over Rs2 million, will be handed over to the health department on Wednesday for onward dispatch to the districts, said Khawaja Umair Munir, one of the volunteers supervising the procurement and packaging.

Speaking toDawnon Monday as his colleagues packed cartons along Mirwaiz Road, Mr Munir said each kit contained diagnostic tools, emergency care equipment and essential medicines, selected on the advice of two UK-based doctors of Muzaffarabad origin — Dr Yahya Khawaja, ananaesthetist and intensivist in Cardiff, and Dr Azhar Chaudhry, a general practitioner in Nottingham, both of whom had also served in AJK’s health system.

“The idea is to strengthen first-line health services in remote areas where patients often struggle to access even basic facilities,” he said, noting that many BHUs lacked lifesaving supplies due to limited resources.

The expatriate community has previously equipped the Nephrology Department at Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences with dialysis machines and provided a digital X-ray machine to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Patikka.

Recently, the group expanded its network to include professionals based in Europe and the United States, under the banner ofKashmir International UK.

“This is our way of giving back to the land where we were born and raised. The health of our people matters, and we will continue to help whenever possible,” Dr Khawaja said in a brief statement.

“Our vision is to ensure that no patient in AJK is deprived of essential healthcare simply because of where they live,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2025