Health
We, at KIRF, strongly believe that it is the right of every individual to access health facilities easily and cost effectively.
Alhamdulilah, we have delivered health services to the people in the many areas where they never had these services by holding medical and eye camps.
Over the last 5 years, since it’s opening, the KIRF community hospital, Jaltan, near Mirpur, has been treating the patients from the districts of Mirpur, Bhimber, Jhelum and Gujrat. The hospital specializes in mother and childcare.
Story of Ms. Safrat Akram
I am Safrat Akram, a 30 year old married woman of Pull Manda, new Abadi, and District Mirpur. My husband, Mr. Muhammad Akram, a police officer wearing three banded stripes, is 35 years old. Ours is a cousin marriage that extends over twelve years until now without children. My husband and my mother in law were sympathetic and supportive. However, my father in law who was also my real uncle, died about one and a half years ago, at times would get upset and tried to convince my husband to remarry. Being depressed, I would start weeping, and then he would hug me and also start weeping on his behaviour. I was fully disappointed and desperate.
Despite knowing, fully well, of the consequences, I had decided to myself arrange the second marriage of my husband. I was willing to pay any price just to fulfil the desire for a child at home.
Right from the beginning, I had some gynaecological problems and I was using medicines. After six months of my marriage, I started worrying about my failure to conceive and, started consulting gynaecologists. I tried every good facility but without success. In the meantime, I also got ‘Taawez’ from a ‘Buzurg’ but with no result.
Prolonged use of medicines affected my stomach. Internally, I was feeling lonely and useless. The other women started avoiding me to participate in important ceremonies relating to marriage and childbirth as they considered my presence as a bad omen that was likely to affect the fertility of the newlywed or the health and life of the newly born. I remember that once I wanted to tie ‘Gana’ to a friend of mine but I was restrained through an announcement that it could be done only by a fertile woman. I stepped behind and for hours I kept weeping on my social rejection. My grandmother was advising me to stop the medicines as they had affected my health and I had also decided to do it but rejection syndrome was adding to my desperation to be a mother at any cost.
In the meantime, I heard about the KIRF Community Hospital, through a woman from my village, who worked at the facility as an attendant. I decided to visit the facility as a last hope. When I entered the hospital, I incidentally met the same woman near the reception. She asked me as to what had brought me there and, guided me to the reception counter where I was registered and shown to the Gynaecologist. I found the place a little different from the other facilities that I had been to before. It presented a caring and friendly environment. I was fully heard about my problem and asked about the details of the treatment I had taken. After a few lab tests, I was given detailed counselling by the Gynaecologist. The doctor’s handling was so impressive and confidence building that, I felt myself under a spell. A hope suddenly flashed into my mind. During the treatment, I dreamed that the doctor had solved my problem. But with the history of constant failure, I didn’t take it seriously.
During the period, I and my mother continued reciting the ‘Wazaef’. After a period of two months I got pregnant. I did not realize it. My menses had stopped and I was gaining weight and felt abdominal pain that increased over time. On the insistence of my mother, I accompanied her to the hospital and complained to my doctor about the pain. The doctor checked me and did ultrasonography. She suddenly jumped to her feet and announced I was pregnant. The doctor with tears of happiness on her face said it was five month old pregnancy. I was confused; I could not believe it and I started crying. My mother who was called into the room hugged the doctor and began crying also. My accompanying brother was no different from others at the scene. My father, who had problems in walking, also reached the hospital in ten minutes.
I immediately contacted my husband on the cellular phone to break the news. He wouldn’t believe it. He told me that since I was extremely scared of the thunderstorms of the previous night, I had gone mad. He advised me to compose myself and try to get out of the condition. Then my mother took the telephone and confirmed the news. As I returned home, the entire community stormed my home to congratulate me on the eventful turning in my life. My husband started receiving congratulation messages from his friends from all over the country and abroad. My husband visited the grave of my father in law who could not live to see his wish being fulfilled. My husband announced the news at the grave and kept crying there.
The whole world around me seems to have changed now. A new relationship started with those who avoided me in the past; my social rejection had turned into togetherness. I was a reference and beam of hope for all the childless.
I feel as if this KIRF hospital was built to change my destiny. I wish that, God Almighty also bestows similar kindness on all other women with similar problems. Aamin!
I have had the experience of visiting many other hospitals in many parts of the country in connection with my treatment but I found the Community Hospital Jatlan a different place. It differs in terms of staff behaviour, availability of medicines and a clean environment. It is a place of care; the staff are friendly. I highly recommend this facility to the women who want quality treatment. I‘ve already referred many women in my similar situation.
I am through seven months pregnancy and plan to deliver at the same facility. Although the doctor knows the sex of the child ye, she says that they have a policy to keep it confidential. I am very happy as it is going to be my own long cherished child. I am not sex prejudiced; I only wish that the baby is healthy.
On the basis of my experience and the quality of work, the KIRF hospital is doing, I pray for the long life and the welfare of the donors and volunteers with whose efforts, the poor people are able live a painless life. I pray for those who participated in setting up and operation of the facility. KIRF should be proud of its staff and volunteers who are working day and night in making the difference in the lives of many others like me. I wish if similar facilities could be set up in other parts of the country to benefit other women like me.
Story of Mr. Sheeraz Hassan
I am Sheeraz Hassan of ’Sajjada Nashin, Darbar-e Aalia,’ Abdupur Sharif, district Mirpur. I was married in 1992 and had a daughter who was born after three years of my marriage. I had been living in Germany and visited my family every year In Kashmir. For sixteen years after the first birth, we had no further children. I consulted many renowned doctors all over the country with no success.
As I belong to a spiritual family, many believers came to the revered shrine of our elders with the desire for children yet, in my own case despite praying there was no success.
Last year, a friend of mine named Master Zulfiqar, who works as a volunteer for the KIRF (UK) Community Hospital, Jatlan, mentioned to me about this facility and encouraged me to try my luck there.
I visited the hospital along with my wife. After a detailed checkup and reviewing the treatment history, we were advised to try for a test tube baby. Due to my religious position, I had reservations on test tube technology. We were given a detailed briefing on the technique and explained that except for fertilization, it would be a normal pregnancy. We were finally referred to a test tube centre at Lahore where we were again checked and given the same advice. We tried it with full success. We used the Community Hospital facility for the antenatal and natal services. The hospital staff worked really hard and offered excellent service. Eventually, we had a son that completed our family. Both my wife and daughter wished to have a male child at home.
The void was filled. My daughter is so happy that at night she gets up and comes to our room to kiss her younger brother.
The news of the birth was equally well received by my friends. I received congratulation messages from friends at home and abroad. Some of my friends, carrying bags of sugar and grain, visited my house along with their entire village mates to congratulate me and participate in the rejoicing occasion.
My experience with the KIRF Community Hospital, Jatlan has been excellent. On the basis of my different experiences with various hospitals all over the country, I can safely say that it’s the cleanest and one of the best managed facilities. I strongly believe that had this facility not been here, it would have been bad luck for the people of 12 Mirpur District. The Lahore and Rawalpindi based facilities, both in terms of cost and convenience, fall outside the access of the common people.
At the Community Hospital, I had a feeling of German hospitals in respect of the professionalism, the quality of care and smiling health care providers. I can say with full confidence that its standard of service and care could be compared to that of any European facility of its kind. The UK based expatriate donors should be proud of envisioning the needs of their brethren back home and turning their dream into a reality. The local volunteers and staff are also to be complimented for linking the local needs with benefits offered at the hospital premises.
My message for the people is that, it is one of the best health facilities equipped with competent and friendly staff that offers high quality affordable services in a clean environment. They must extend their full cooperation to enhance its capacity to serve them better.
Story of Haji Abdul Karim
I am Haji Abdul Karim from Nelson, UK and one of the donors of the KIRF (UK) Community Hospital, Jatlan. I am 70 years old with a history of heart problems. My native village is Gorsian, district Mirpur. Recently on a visit to my native place to see my family, I had received mixed feedback from people of the area about the working of the Community Hospital. 80% of the people spoke well about the facility while some people did otherwise. I myself had no direct experience about its services.
As a donor, I was very much interested to know the facts about the facility. Although, I wanted to form an independent opinion about the hospital workings, yet I did not find time to visit and cross check the quality and authenticity of the feedback I had received.
On 5th February 2008, at 1100 hours, I was in my village when I suddenly felt an acute pain in the chest. Although I had a history of minor heart problems but this time the attack was very severe. I was desperately in need of medical aid. Being the nearest facility, I was taken to the KIRF Community Hospital, Jatlan by my family members for treatment. However, before reaching the hospital, I fell unconscious.
Later, my attendant told me that as soon as I had reached the hospital, the duty doctor immediately attended to me and gave emergency treatment. He checked me thoroughly and did my ECG. After management and stabilizing my life threatening situation, he advised me to go to Mirpur for further investigation and treatment and, with my consent, referred me to the DHQ hospital, Mirpur for that purpose.
Although, I don’t remember the name of the doctor that treated me at the Community Hospital that day, yet I do want to meet and thank him for saving my life. I highly value the quality of care that I received at the hospital. The absence of this 13 facility in that area or the dedication and commitment on the part of its staff would have put my life at extreme risk. I shudder to imagine as to the consequences if all that I had needed to save my life were not available that day.
After having a direct personal experience, I am strengthened in my belief that the dream that we saw at the time of making this hospital in Jatlan, was absolutely worthwhile. I am very happy see that the dream eventually turned true. The hospital is saving the lives of many people, like me, and particularly of the poor, the marginalized and the underserved. The quality of care is very good. It is a value adding health service facility offering a kind of service that the people of the area could otherwise, never have access to.
For this, all those who are associated with KIRF should be proud of the hospital’s achievements. Its selfless volunteers and hospital staff deserves tremendous appreciation. They are really saving lives.
Finally, I also appeal to all people, in the UK and here in AJK, to donate the maximum to the hospital to keep it functioning and further improving the delivery of its services.
Medical Camps:
KIRF has been organizing medical camps in partnership with Red Crescent Society of Azad-Kashmir, in the far flung areas of Azad Kashmir. One such medical camp was held in the remotest parts of District Neelum with the help of eight doctors and auxiliary staff. This was the first ever medical camp organized and run in the history of this area. KIRF is proud to be providing its help and services towards thousands who have sought treatment in this medical camp and continues to do so.
|
