ISLAMABAD, April 25: A delegation of Parliamentarian Doctors Forum (PDF) will leave from Karachi for Iraq on Tuesday for a three-week visit.

This was disclosed by the PDF chief MNA Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan MNA at a press conference. She would head the delegation.

She said the delegation would consist of two groups. One would include three parliamentarian and two women doctors. They would stay for one week, while the other group comprising three specialist doctors and two paramedics would stay for three weeks in Baghdad.

She said the Humanitarian Aid and Crisis centre in Aman had agreed to provide security to the delegation. The PDF doctors services would be utilized in various hospitals according to the requirement of Iraqi health ministry.

She said that the PDF had collected medicines worth Rs5.4 million in parliament lodges collection cell in Islamabad and Rs5 million in Karachi with the collaboration of Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA Relief).

The forum had also collected other items for the Iraqi children such as footballs, tennis balls and track-suits.

Ms Awan said that the Pakistani doctors would visit various hospitals, before they begin the treatment of the children, to present special gifts from the people of Pakistan.

She said that expenditure for the visit would be borne by the PDF and PIMA Relief and non-governmental organizations.

Dr Sher Afghan Niazi, PDF general secretary, thanked the donors for helping in the collecting the medicines specially PIMA Relief, Pakistan Pharmaceutical Association and SHADE.

He appealed to the government to help provide official status to the delegation during their stay in Aman as it was the first humanitarian medical mission from Pakistan.

He urged the philanthropists of the country to help the delegation financially so that they it contribute best services. —APP