ANF organises free medical camps in Bhit Shah, Sehwan

KARACHI: Drug Demand Reduction is one of the core missions of the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF). For this very reason, a Model Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre (MATRC) is fully functional in Lyari, Karachi under the authority of the ANF Sindh.

In this state-0f-the-art centre, thousands of drug patients have successfully been treated and have been made a healthy component of the society. Similarly, the MATRC also organises free medical camps in vulnerable areas of Sindh for medical treatment and awareness.

In the same context, the MATRC organised free medical camps in Bhit Shah and Sehwan Sharif, which were selected for being the most susceptible areas in terms of drug abuse, in the second week of Dec 2017.

The main objectives of these camps—and indeed of all the medical camps organised by the MATRC—were to bring free healthcare and health information to the community, identify the prevalence of drug abuse in order to devise ways of addressing them by providing both preventive and curative treatment, refer those who require specialised treatment to the MATRC, either in Karachi or Sukkur, and create awareness and provide counselling on harms and damages caused by drug abuse, especially HIV/AIDS, cancer and other ailments.

The first camp was established at Tambora Chowk, near to the tomb of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, for two days. Patients and people started arriving at the venue soon after the commencement of the camp. The MATRC doctors and psychiatrists monitored the provision of various medical-related services to approximately 1,100 people and provided them with required medicines without charging any fee.

Afterwards, the medical camp was moved to Sehwan Sharif for next two days. A total of 700 people visited the camp. All visitors and patients were attended with utmost care and professionalism.

It is worth mentioning that there was a steady flow of patients throughout the days and it made work easier—especially in recording data and dispensing of medicines. A wave of contentment could clearly be felt all around due to the effective cure and skilled care of the MATRC professionals.