Expats pool in their savings to start diabetes centre in Pakistan

An Abu Dhabi-based Pakistani expat, whose idea and discussion with three friends has now become a reality, has opened the first specialised diabetes centre in Pakistan.
Dr Asjad Hameed, a consultant of endocrinology and diabetes, has done what many have told him is the 'dream of a mad man.' But where there is a will, there is always a way, believes Dr Asjad, currently working at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICDL) in Abu Dhabi.
His dream, the Diabetes Centre in Pakistan became operational on February 1 and is located in Islamabad. The centre has been built at the cost of Dh25 million (Pak Rs65million). Currently, doctors at the centre see between 150-200 people per month, but Dr Asjad said there is capacity for 600 patients per month.
"People come from as far as Mianwali and Gujrat," he said, adding, "It shocks me that a huge part of the population - mostly the poor who cannot afford treatment - still cannot access quality treatment for the disease in Pakistan," he told Khaleej Times. "They do visit clinics and general practitioners, but there is no specialised clinic to treat diabetes."
It all started with an idea among three people - Dr Asjad and his two friends - who pooled in their savings to realise their dream. Soon, the sponsorship base increased to pool in the initial Dh1 million needed to start construction of the building in Islamabad.
"People started joining us and we then registered as a charity in the US, UK and with the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) in the UAE," he said.
A large number of the centre's donors are based in UAE, including 60 UAE-based families and a few Emiratis. "The ERC sells our coupons on its stalls and thanks to the charity of people who donate anything between Dh5 to Dh10 per month, we are able to raise between Dh250,000 to Dh300,000 every quarter.
Despite this, the centre still needs funds to buy machinery, said Dr Asjad. Pakistan has a large population of poor with health issues, who still are forced to spend their few funds on treatments and medicines, he said. "When I came to the UAE in 2008, the country had the second highest diabetic population in the world, but now it has only the eighth or 10th ranking in the world," said Dr Asjad.
This is because of the good screening methods and efforts put in by the UAE government as well as their vision in healthcare, he said. Every tenth person in Pakistan is diabetic. "And these are figures from old studies.
"The knowledge and education levels are low there. People do not know where to go for treatment, which is why there are lots of kidney failures and eyesight issues from diabetes," he said. "This is what shocks me."
The Diabetes Centre is the first-ever project of Pakistan to be registered with ERC in 40 years.
The five-floor building, to be fully complete by December 2018, can accommodate between 700 to 1,000 patients per day.
Dr Asjad's wife, a doctor herself, already quit her job in the UAE and moved to Pakistan to overlook the construction and the subsequent daily operations. "On March 23, we will inaugurate a clinic in Lahore as well," said Dr Asjad, adding that camps were already set up once a month in Karachi and other cities of Pakistan.
asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

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• Pakistan