The facility for ultrasound was inaugurated at the Mother and Child Healthcare Clinic (MCH) in Machar Colony recently.
Lucky Cement Chief Operating Officer Syed Nauman Hassan performed the inauguration, which was organised by the Concern for Children (CFC). The facility is being solely supported by Lucky Cement Limited.
The MCH in Machar Colony caters to a population area of around 700,000 residents. The healthcare facility constantly provides low-cost services, vaccines, treatments, screenings, referrals, access to primary health, preventive healthcare and awareness of hygiene practices in the community.
CFC is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation established in 1997, with the mission to design, implement and replicate models for sustainable development for children in populations at risk. Since March 2000, the CFC has made efforts for countering deplorable conditions at Karachi’s Machar Colony, through its Community Driven Development Project (CDDP).
The CFC also holds quarterly health camps at different locations within the Machar Colony. The clinic is strategically located in the community with the only qualified doctors and serves approximately 80 patients on daily basis.
Machar Colony houses over 750,000 individuals and is spread over 4 square kilometres behind the railway tracks on Mauripur Road. The residents’ illegal settlement is used as an excuse by the government not to provide basic water, sanitation, education and healthcare facilities to the community.
The main objective of introducing the ultrasound facility at the MCH is to prevent, alleviate or manage health problems, including those directly related to pregnancy. The facility also aims to provide women and their families with appropriate information and advice for healthy pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal recovery, including care of the newborn; confirming pregnancy and its location as sometimes the embryos can develop in the Fallopian tube instead of the uterus; timely ultrasounds will help to detect tubal pregnancies.
