ISLAMABAD: The ChildLife Foundation after successfully reshaping the children's emergency rooms in Sindh, Balochistan, and parts of Punjab, now is to expand emergency healthcare services of children in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
In a media briefing here on Wednesday, Dr Ihsan Rubani, chief executive officer (CEO) of ChildLife Foundation said that the organisation was setup following the 2010 devastating floods when scores of children lost their lives owing to the absence of emergency health services. He said that over the past 13 years the organisation has provided emergency healthcare services to over 6 million children free of cost and this year owing to expanded operations the foundation is to provide healthcare service to another two million children.
Rubani said that the new children's emergency room situated at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad treated 200,000 children free of cost since its establishment in August 2022.
When he was asked about the funding of the organisation, he said that 40 percent fund was coming from donations and 60 percent from the provincial governments, adding that so far federal government was not providing any funds to the organisation.
This milestone marks a significant achievement in combating child mortality rates in Pakistan, with the survival rate of critically ill children notably on the rise.
Pakistan faces a critical issue as 1,000 children succumb to various illnesses daily, making it imperative to address the high mortality rates among children in the country. Recognising this challenge, ChildLife has implemented a solution-focused approach, emphasizing the importance of enhancing emergency care to effectively reduce child mortality rates by 50 per cent.
Operating under a public-private partnership with the government, ChildLife revitalised the children's emergency room at PIMS, Islamabad in August 2022. This initiative encompasses a comprehensive overhaul of infrastructure, including renovation efforts to create a conducive environment for efficient medical care. Additionally, ChildLife has bolstered the ER with a dedicated team of healthcare professionals, equipped with the latest life-saving technologies and a state-of-the-art pharmacy.
One of the key highlights of the newly revamped emergency room is its pharmacy, which maintains a 45-day stock of essential medicines, including life-saving drugs. This strategic measure ensures that critical medications are readily available at all times, further enhancing the emergency response capabilities of the facility.
ChildLife's impact extends far beyond PIMS, Islamabad, with a scalable and cost-effective model operating in 313 hospitals nationwide, including emergency rooms and Telemedicine Satellite Centres. Serving over 10,000 children every month in ER at PIMS from various regions, ChildLife's commitment to paediatric healthcare remains steadfast. Through its concerted efforts, ChildLife Foundation continues to make significant strides towards improving paediatric emergency care and safeguarding the well-being of children across Pakistan.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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