Pakistan hospital built by Watford postman .........

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Pakistan hospital built by Watford postman facing 'desperate' times

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/8 ... te__times/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


A postman from Watford who delivered vital medical care to one of Pakistan's poorest regions has revealed the hospital is facing “desperate times” after providing free treatment to thousands of flood victims.

Mohammed Younis MBE, 58, spent more than a decade raising money before opening the Alma Bi Hospital, named after his mother, in the Hafizabad region of the country in 2007.

The floods, caused by heavy monsoon rains three weeks ago, have killed more than 1,600 people and injured many thousands more.

Many homes, businesses and crops have also been washed away, with the Alma Bi hospital just one kilometre from the water's edge.

Such was the impact on services, with many thousands of people seeking treatment, that medical camps were set up closer to the flood zone to help those most badly affected.

Mohammed, from Bradshaw Road, Watford, said: “That week (of the floods) there was a lot of strain on the hospital. Flood victims were coming in with broken limbs, cuts, bruises and dehydration. Young children and the elderly were coming in with all different problems. Doctors were working 24 hours a day for eight days treating these people.

“We decided to have a flood camp in the most badly affected areas. Doctors and nurses are going out to different places with full equipment, which is helping people tremendously. They are receiving help from the charity. We are only a small charity but we are helping people in a big way.”

However, the cost of running the camps is eating away at the hospital trust's financial reserves, adding £2,000 every day on top of its usual running costs.

The hospital costs £10,000 each month to run, made up entirely of donations after talks with Pakistan's health officials about possible funding have so far proved fruitless.

Mohammed, who works at the Royal Mail depot in Ascot Road, who last visited the hospital in July, said: “These poor people have nothing to back to because their houses have been demolished. There's nothing there for them to go back to.

“We are not a massive charity with lots of volunteers. The hospital is still running as normal. I'm just wondering where the money is going to come from. We are doing so much for the people affected by the flood.”

To make a donation to the Alma Bi Trust, telephone 01923 215663, visit http://www.almatrust.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, email younisaht@hotmail.com or write to Alma Hospital Trust, Freepost, Watford WD18 8HA.