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Human suffering is acknowledged by many. Rare are few who do their part in alleviating it.
Twenty years ago, the students of Karachi Medical and Dental College while learning the ways to treat diseases, pledged to cure the grotesque symptoms of poverty. From the pocket money of few fellow students, they started a small charity organization from a room known as room 41 at Abbassi Shaheed Hospital. Over the years as the room bloomed so did some precious lives.
HOPES became a lifeline for the poor by ensuring that the benefits of modern medicine and technology can be availed by those in dire need of it regardless of their socio-economic status. Two decades of exceptional effort and consistent endurance has led to the success of this patient welfare NGO. Three pharmacies, one each at Abbassi Shaheed Hospital, Karachi Institute of Heart Diseases and the Dental OPD Pharmacy at KM&DC, have been inaugurated by its members, and dispense medical and surgical items at subsidized rates as compared to the running market prices.
Their most recent achievement came in the form of a RIQAS accredited state of the art diagnostic laboratory where affordability meets reliability. Accommodated with advanced machinery such as Selectra ProM for biochemistry and run expertly by 13 well-trained technicians, this lab offers a multitude of tests including 22 serology tests and 36 special tests. Most recently the lab was expanded to include a department for microbiology with plans to make radiological services available soon as well.
In 2015, the volunteers worked for a rare development i.e. HOPES TALK Program. Under the umbrella of HTP, volunteers visit various underprivileged schools of the city and provide free general medical and dental checkups to the students. The volunteers also conduct interactive sessions and counsel the students on various common social and medical issues. What’s more, HTP arranges career counseling seminars and BLS workshops exclusively for the students of KMDC.
For the smooth functioning of HOPES, our volunteers put all their efforts in the annual Zakat Campaigns and HOPES Health Expo which are the two major sources of fund generation.
In the scorching heat of Karachi, each year in the holy month of Ramadan, team HOPES conducts door to door collection drives in various housing societies and roadside campaigns in busy markets and malls of the city,
Previously, like every other NGO, HOPES used to launch a carnival to raise funds. A dynamic feat was achieved when first ever HOPES Health Expo took place in December 2015, followed by a second one in 2016. HOPES Health Expo has the honor of being the largest health expo on the national level, to be organized solely by a student-run, healthcare NGO. At HHE, the visitors get acquainted with a huge body of medical and health professionals.
The vision is to make health care accessible for all by providing free medical and dental checkups and free blood screenings. All visitors are encouraged to join the training sessions, seminars, and workshops, to know more about their health. The 3rd HOPES Health Expo is taking place on the 30th and 31st of December at the Karachi Expo Center and it will be a day solely dedicated to your health with numerous clinical stacks providing information about different diseases and much more so don’t forget to visit! Remember, the secret to progress lies in a healthy body and a healthier lifestyle
