Patients Helping Hands Welfare Association
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Patients Helping Hands or PHH is a non-political, non-sectarian, non-governmental organization run by the students of Sindh Medical College, a constituent of Jinnah Sindh Medical University in Karachi, Pakistan. The NGO aims to remove the financial burden associated with healthcare from the patients that frequent the three hospitals affiliated with the Jinnah Sindh Medical University, namely; The Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) and the National Institute of Child Health (NICH).
JPMC, NICVD and NICH being the largest government run hospitals are also the most sought after hospitals by the lower socioeconomic strata of the public. They cater to thousands of indigent patients daily who hail from the most underdeveloped parts of Karachi to the rural areas of interior Sindh and Balochistan. The need for a social welfare organization that should step in to help bridge the gap between poverty and an increasingly expensive healthcare management thus, cannot be over emphasized.
Aside from the general charity, sponsors and regular donors of PHH, the NGO derives its donations and zakat from fund-raisers in schools and universities. PHH has also run fund-raising campaigns in shopping malls and residential areas and has had stalls set up at carnivals.
Patients Helping Hands acknowledges its volunteers and members as the backbone of the organization. The volunteers and members serve in different departments as per their expertise or interest hence carrying out the various tasks in the functioning and maintenance of the organization. Convinced, that goodwill along with sincere determination to help the destitute, PHH calls out to all with their motto- "Lend a hand to make a difference".
History[edit]
The idea was conceived by 12 compassionate and determined individuals on 23 May 2011. Their objective was to make a difference for the needy patients that all SMC students encounter in their clinical rotations every day. Their idea allowed students of the Sindh Medical College a chance to partake in welfare work providing them an opportunity to satisfy their conscience alongside their medical studies. Patients Helping Hands was registered as an N.G.O (Non-Governmental Organization) on June 17, 2011 with the City District Government Karachi.
The first membership drive ended on June 30, 2011, and the response from the students of Sindh Medical College was overwhelming.
The second membership drive ended on January 31, 2012.
The third membership drive ended on 8 June 2013.
The fourth membership drive ended on 27 November 2013.
At this moment there are more than 150 members and countless volunteers working under the PHH umbrella for patient welfare.
The drug bank was initiated with an initial set up of only five disposables being offered on 4 October 2011. This was expanded to include 22 kinds of medical disposable supplies and an anti-biotic, Vancomycin, on 5 January 2012. Now this drug store fulfills all medical disposable needs and provides ten anti-biotics free of charge to the patients of NICH.
Services[edit]
- The drug bank at National Institute of Child Health was established on 4 October 2011. Since its inception, the drug bank has been giving away medicines and medical supplies to the patients free of cost. Current requirements are of 22 disposables and Vancomycin, Meropenem, Acyclovir, Ceftriaxone, Cefotaxime and Cefoperazone on Zakat and Donations.
- The Drug Bank covers all three floors of NICH providing ease for house officers and doctors to procure the drugs on their floor rather than having to send for them at the pharmacy elsewhere.
- A drug bank was initiated at the Obstetrics Ward on 30 November 2013. This drug bank will provide medicines and medical supplies free of cost to the patients of this ward.
- PHH organized a seminar on Basic Life Support to show its appreciation and gratitude to the donors at Mohammad Ali Jinnah University. The doctors working for PHH imparted the vital instructions of the measures to be taken when administering First Aid. The seminar was generally beheld helpful and informative.
- Appalled at the lack of hygiene and cleanliness widely prevalent amongst the patients coming to JPMC,NICH and NICVD, a Hygiene Awareness campaign was organized in May 2012. Patients and their attendants were educated of the importance of sanitation and over 500 pledges were signed resolving to lead a cleanlier healthy life.
ICU Project[edit]
Recently PHH has embarked on another ambitious project, building a working ICU in JPMC Surgical Unit III. This project was initiated after much deliberations between the Surgical Unit III administration and the PHH executive council. After obtaining an official written request on the urgent need to build an ICU in the Unit, PHH embarked on this venture.
The facility being built is a 4 bedded unit with all the facilities of modern and up to date ICU which will, to a large extent, remove the dependence of this surgical unit on the JPMC general surgical ICU, which in itself is only a 7 bedded unit catering to over 150 surgical patients. Needless to say it is inadequate for the sheer size of this patient load.
Phase 1 of the ICU project is complete as of March 2013. The equipment required to begin functioning of this unit has already been arranged, including beds, cardiac monitors, crash carts and suction machines.
The ICU was inaugurated on 9 April 2013 and is now functional and catering to the needs of the surgical patients of JPMC Surgical Unit III.
Structure[edit]
Patients Helping Hands consists of an Executive Council which oversees the body of Members and Volunteers. They control the day-to-day operations of the organization. The Executive Council has five office bearers, the President, Vice President, General Secretary, Joint Secretary and Treasurer. Non office bearers include Finance Director and Deputy Director, Marketing Director and Deputy Director, PO&M Director and Deputy Director, Creative Director and Deputy Director, Office Director and Deputy Director, Shariah Director and Spokesperson.
The body of Members has been divided into departments, namely Finance, Marketing, Project Operations, Creative and Research and Development (R&D). Each member is put in the department of their choice and/or expertise. All departments have a Director who is a non office-bearer member of the executive council and Head Coordinator. Each department has its own specific duties.
Finance Department: Finance handles the financial logistics of PHH, formulating fund raising strategies and carrying them out to ensure a continuous monetary supply to keep the organization operational.
Marketing Department: Marketing is charged with the promotion of the organization on different platforms and to increase awareness about the cause of patient welfare.
Project Operations and Management: PO&M is the department that handles the projects initiated by PHH. Currently their duties include ensuring functionality of the Drug Bank operated by this organization and management of the ICU built by PHH in Surgical Unit III of JPMC.
Creative Department: The duties of Creative include producing literature used on different media by the organization which includes (but not limited to) fliers, posters, presentations etc.
Research & Development: Information provided by R&D is used as the basis for initiating different projects. This department provides the organization with specific target areas and identifies the gaps that need to be filled by PHH.
The Board of Governors consists of all 14 Founder members and will continue to oversee the bigger picture with respect to PHH but will not control the day-to-day functioning of the organization.
Contact[edit]
Info.phh@gmail.com
http://www.patientshelpinghands.org
References[edit]
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