KARACHI – The Government of Japan handed over 07 vehicles to Karwan-e-Hayat, Institute for Mental Health Care under ‘The Project for Provision of Vehicles for Mobile Medical Treatment and Transport for The Karwan e-Hayat Mental Illness Hospital in Karachi’, with the scheme of Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).
The handing over ceremony took place at KeH Keamari Center in the esteemed presence of Mr. ISOMURA Toshikazu, Consul-General of Japan in Karachi and the CEO of KeH, Mr. Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babar.
KeH has been at the forefront of psychiatric care and rehabilitation in Pakistan for more than 38 years. KeH is a provider of mental health care, with a focus on poor and underserved sections of society, providing them free or highly subsidized quality care and rehabilitation.
In Pakistan, so many people suffer from mental illness. Unlike other non-communicable diseases, which afflict humans at a later age in life, mental illness often affects people in their prime years. Entire families are adversely affected when one member is mentally ill.
The grant has enabled the procurement of vehicles to facilitate the increasing numbers of psychiatric patients who need care and treatment. With this new induction into the fleet, expansion of mobile medical services and patient transportation will be made possible. Previously, KeH was undertaking this task with only one vehicle.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Isomura said that access to Primary Health Care (PHC) for the mentally ill is an issue in need of urgent address in Pakistan. He stressed the immediacy of raising public awareness regarding PHC for vulnerable groups in society, especially in the current pandemic era.
In response, Mr. Zaheeruddin Babar, CEO-KeH thanked the Consul-General and the people of Japan for the generosity they have shown towards psychiatric patients in Karachi. He assured that the donated vehicles would undoubtedly improve medical services and consequently ease the burden on the patients’ families.
This GGP grant comes from the government and people of Japan, intended to be utilized for those in need. This support will further strengthen ties of friendship between Japan and Pakistan.
Japan has funded over 390 projects in Pakistan under the GGP scheme since 1989.
