By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI - Handing over ceremony of 10 Suzuki Bolan vans to Hamdard Foundation Pakistan for its free mobile dispensary service under Japan’s grassroots support for health was held at Foundation’s Nazimabad Centre.
Speaking on the occasion, Consul General of Japan, Akira Ouchi, expressed his joy over realization of the project and hoped that it would contribute to the betterment of life of people in Pakistan.
“The mobile dispensaries are the token gifts of friendship from the people of Japan,” he said, adding that this support would further strengthen the friendly relationship between Japan and Pakistan.
He said that Japan government extended a grant of US$ 72,532 (approximately Rs7.3 million) to Hamdard Foundation Pakistan for the provision of 10 mobile dispensaries, equipped with basic equipment.
“Hamdard Foundation Pakistan is an NGO which has been providing health and welfare services to the under-privileged segments of the society since its establishment in 1964 and Hamdard Foundation’s president Mrs Sadia Rashid has been working relentlessly for the improvement of health and welfare of the under-privileged people,” he maintained.
Pak Suzuki’s CEO Hirofumi Nagoo said that Hamdard Foundation had started the project with two free mobile dispensaries and later on increased it to 16 units, serving around 40,000 poor patients each month.
Pak Suzuki, he added, has been donating few units every year to schools and hospitals for students and patients' transportation.
Hamdard Foundation’s president Mrs Sadia Rashid said: “Our mobile dispensaries go out to areas and people having poor access to medical health and dispense medicines free of cost to the poor and needy people.
“With the addition of 10 vans our fleet of 16 mobile dispensaries has now increased to 26,” she added.
Later, she thanked the government, people of Japan and Pak Suzuki for providing mobile dispensaries to Hamdard Foundation Pakistan.