Young doctors and dentists said that providing volunteer medical service to deserving people not only gave them contentment but also professional development in their careers.
They were providing volunteer medical services in a medical and dental camp to the orphan children in Swat. The camp, titled “Orphan Care Camp” under a Project Smile, was organized by a Carvaan Foundation, Lahore in collaboration with KPK Development Corporation, Saidu Medical and Dental College, Luqman International Hospital and The Torwali. The camp was organized at the Parwarish orphanage in Mingora.
More than 20 young doctors from different parts of the country provided medical services to about 400 orphan children in the camp.
“It is often considered that doctors only make money and do not participate in volunteer services but this is completely wrong. We have about 250 young doctors and dentists from the country who extend their services voluntarily to the poor and orphan communities across the country,” told DrMahnoorShahid Khan a young doctor who founded Carvaan with the aim to help poor and marginalized Pakistanis by providing them medical and dental care.
She said that Carvaan was the first Pakistani nonprofit dental organization solely working for the poor and marginalized community of Pakistan.
She said that she was happy that a team of 8 doctors and dentists from Lahore and 15 from Swat provided medical and dental help to the children of Swat. “We organize medical camps regularly in Lahore and different parts of the country. We have a passion to make every Pakistani child healthy,” she said, adding that Project Smile, Project Taleem and Project Sehat were the main activities of going on under Carvaan these days.
A dental surgeon Zunaira Imran who was screening children for dental care said that it was the collective responsibility of everyone to provide volunteer services to the poor people. “Providing dental care to children regularly is very important as there is no natural replacement of teeth if they are lost,” She said.
Dr Abdullah, a pediatrician in Saidu Teaching Hospital who was checking children for medical care said after screening children here he found that majority of the children were suffering from malnutrition which was not a good sign. “We not only provided free medical services but also gave them medicines,” he said.
The organizers said that they would provide free medical and dental care to children anywhere in the country and they would respond to the communities who needed health care immediately.