Little Blessings

Wali Dad looked at his three-month old daughter Sajna with worry. For a little over a month, Wali Dad had been carrying the infant around from doctor to doctor in his home town Mirpur Sakhro to seek treatment for her persistent fever. The baby's condition had shown no signs of improvement, instead it was deteriorating by the day. Looking at her pale face in the dim light from the small bulb in the room, Wali Dad suddenly realised it was essential for him to take the little girl to Karachi in order to save her life.
A driver by profession, Wali Dad earned Rs 3,500 (US $58) per month to support a family of 13. It was going to be an uphill task collecting money to afford treatment at a city hospital. He knew it would mean stretching his already strained resources to the limit. But he could see no other hope. Sajna was in very serious condition when she was brought to the Emergency Room at AKUH.

An initial check-up at AKUH revealed that Sajna was suffering from pneumonia and meningitis and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. When Wali Dad was informed that his daughter was expected to remain in the hospital for at least 10 to 20 days, he reached into his pocket to offer Rs 5,000 ($ 83) to the staff and broke into tears. He was not sure he would be able to get treatment for his child. The staff informed him that Sajna's treatment had been started already and directed him to the Patient Welfare Department.

Sajna was admitted for 13 days. She began improving after receiving care and attention from the doctors and nurses. The Hospital and medicine charges amounted to Rs 214,997 ($ 3,569) which were paid from the Hospital's Patient Welfare Programme, while Wali Dad and his family contributed a total of Rs 15,000 ($ 259). The baby was discharged after recovering fully.

Wali Dad has now taken Sajna back to Mirpur Sakhro to a jubilant mother who cannot thank God enough when she sees a healthy Sajna sleeping soundly in her little crib by her bedside.

Aga Khan University Hospital's Patient Welfare Programme offers financial assistance to those patients who are unable to afford the medical cost of treatment. In 2005, 74 per cent of all patients treated at AKUH were from low to middle-income groups. Since the inception of the welfare programme in 1986, over Rs 1.4 billion ($ 30.2 million) has been disbursed to more than 250,000 needy patients.