Indus Hospital Fundraiser in Sacramento
By Ras H. Siddiqui
A group aptly named Friends of Indus Hospital (http://friendsofindushospital.com/ ) has been busy seeking help from individuals and communities in various cities of America recently to assist in their quest to give struggling people in Pakistan access to free healthcare.
This writer can recall being invited by Dr Lubna Shah to a similar event last year in the San Francisco Bay Area where area luminary Ashraf Habibullah gave a moving speech on our need to help the poor in our country of origin. Unfortunately, due to a family tragedy this writer could not make it to that event. But now thanks to some friends in the greater Sacramento, California area this effort reached near us on August 31, 2018 at the Rocklin Event Center in Placer County. An added attraction for us here was comedian Jeremy McLellan who made his first-time appearance in this area.
The invitation to this event read: “Friends of Indus Hospital, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 tax exempt charity established to support The Indus Hospital, Pakistan’s first state-of-the-art FREE hospital in its efforts aimed at making free quality health-care a reality for the country’s poorest of the poor. The Sacramento Chapter of FOIH is hosting a dinner to raise awareness and funds for Indus Hospital in Pakistan.”
So right off the bat some words of appreciation are warranted for Dr Maqbool Ahmed and Musarrat Malik for spearheading this effort in Rocklin. And this evening could not have been accomplished without the help of a dedicated community (including the kids) from El Dorado, Placer and Sacramento counties.
Event emcee Dr Razia Sheikh (from the Fresno, California area) did a great job conducting the proceedings and providing a solid background to the Indus Hospital. We can also appreciate the participation here of Mr Pervez Ahmed from the Indus Health Network from Karachi, Pakistan and Dr M. Shahid Umer of Friends of Indus Hospital USA who came all the way from New Jersey.
The program started off with a fine recitation from the Holy Qur’an. This was followed by a music and fashion statement as Yeh Watan Humara Hai offered a nostalgic touch for some of us and the follow-up kids fashion show invited wide appreciation across generations. Thanks to all the volunteers who made this segment of the evening happen.
The challenges of providing health care in Pakistan, especially in large metropolitan areas like Karachi, were highlighted. There is basically no other realistic alternative for people with limited incomes there but to offer them something like the Indus Hospital concept, which is already treating close to 200,000 patients a month at no cost. The main project in Karachi is expected to cost close to $250 million with a $100 million facility also planned for the Lahore metropolitan area.
After Magrib prayers, a fine Mediterranean dinner (plus great dessert) followed during which Jibran Khan played the tabla, giving the evening another nice touch. Two community awards followed as Bashir Choudry and his wife received their well-deserved recognition presented to them by Naeem and Durriya Syed while Rashid Ahmad received the same honor from Drs Aslam and Fouzia Godil.
Gabeena Rana next shared her expertise in many areas of health concerns which can be challenging in any environment, but are especially acute in Pakistan. And if one was to set up and get audience attention for a fundraising segment, there could have been nothing better than what the three Granite Bay High School kids delivered by highlighting their “Three Kids - Three Stories”. Super job by this trio who highlighted real stories of blood cancer, speech and hearing impairment, and the issue of Club Foot (helped via Pehla Qadam) amongst children who were all successfully treated free at the Indus Hospital. It was a moving experience for all and had its impact as a substantial amount was raised for this cause here.
And last but not least, comedian Jeremy McLellan delivered quite a witty end to a great evening of community unity and generosity. Jeremy is one more Gora not Ghora (you just had to be there to get this one) who has adopted somewhat of a Muslim-Pakistani identity or actually it is the Pakistanis who have adopted him. He delivers some “thinking humor” and is not averse to pushing the envelope during his routine. One piece of advice for him is to leave the town named after an Abbott out of his performance when a Pakistani audience is present. The rest was excellent material.
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