KARACHI, May 3: Students of Dow Medical College successfully raised Rs1.1 million at the ‘Bake Sale 2007,’ fundraiser. The students collected this amount through a citywide campaign with the help of sponsors, individual contributions and trough the bake sale itself. All proceeds will go to the student-run Patients’ Welfare Association (PWA), which is managing various projects for patients’ wellbeing at the Civil Hospital, Karachi, since 1979.

The venue of the annual fundraiser remained abuzz with activities from the morning till the afternoon, drawing huge crowds. Though the major attraction of the fundraiser-cum-mela was the sumptuous food, there was a large array of homemade decorative items as well as ready-made objects on display.

This year, many students from other institutions, such as the Aga Khan University and Hospital, Baqai and Hamdard Universities and Sindh Medical College, also participated in large numbers.

“This year we had carried out an exhaustive publicity campaign in other educational institutions. About 300 students of the first year class were involved in the event’s preparations,” pointed out Zehra Kazmi, Vice President, Media Communications, PWA.

About the PWA’s working and efforts, she said that the organisation was one of the largest student-run NGOs in the country, operating since 1970. The PWA-supported projects included a drug bank, the recently renovated blood bank, a diagnostic lab and follow-up clinics for TB and thalassaemia.

The drug bank, she said, was solely run by students, while in other departments they were working with trained personnel. “A large number of patients benefit from these departments daily.

Every year we increase the bake sale target by Rs100,000 and successfully achieve it. The PWA plans to establish a thalassaemia day-care centre and renovate the diagnostic lab,” she said. The event was inaugurated by MS, Civil Hospital, Dr Kaleem Butt.