KARACHI: “Let’s become human, for being human is the greatest wealth. No rich people ever supported me. It was always the common man,” said renowned humanitarian Abdul Sattar Edhi, who despite his poor health came to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) on Wednesday to inaugurate an international symposium being held to celebrate the institute’s success over the past four decades.

Given a standing ovation at the ceremony that had an array of experts from across the world, Mr Edhi made a brief speech that summarised his decades-long philanthropic struggle. He said: “All our problems would solve if we demonstrated [through our words and actions] that we are humans.”

He told the audience that he did not possess any materialistic wealth, but what made him rich was the unconditional and endless love of the general public, always ready to offer whatever little it had on his single call.

Giving a presentation on the SIUT’s philosophy and its struggle, Dr Adib Rizvi said that the rising inequality between the haves and the have-nots was a strong reason to provide free quality healthcare to all.

“The belief that every human being irrespective of his or her caste, creed and class has the right to quality healthcare may sound like a utopian thought. But this seemingly unrealistic idea has turned into a reality [in the shape of the SIUT],” he said.

The unwavering public support for the SIUT could be gauged from the fact that while the country was witnessing recession in the economy, the institution had been converted from a small ward into an 850-bed hospital with modern equipment, he added.

“What we are celebrating, in fact, is the SIUT’s philosophy to provide quality healthcare free-of-cost but with dignity. A patient must not lose life just because he or she can’t afford the high cost of treatment,” he said.

Speaking about their association and experiences with the SIUT, foreign experts paid tribute to the leadership of Dr Rizvi and his team for showing commitment and dedication in difficult circumstances.

“Some of the lessons we have learnt from the SIUT are that a public health mission has to be contextualised, socially, culturally and religiously and it is also important to create public awareness and making the media aligned with the truths and rights of people,” said Dr Khalaf Bile Mohamud, a highly acclaimed global public-health figure and former World Health Organisation representative in Pakistan.

He also highlighted the SIUT’s role in combating the menace of commercial and illegal kidney transplant. Dr Rizvi was in the front line to help the country have a law on illegal kidney trade, he said.

Dr Luc Noel, former WHO representative currently serving as an independent adviser on issues pertaining to medical products of human origin, said that the achievements of the SIUT were incredible given the fact the government of Pakistan spent too little on health.

“It has set an example that can be well adapted in other countries. It’s a beacon of hope not just for low resourced countries but also for developed countries,” he said.

Prof Philip G. Ransley who has been associated with the SIUT for 25 years and has made a tremendous contribution by setting up a paediatric urology department at the SIUT, also spoke highly of its struggle and successes.

Dr Francis L. Delmonico from the US, Dr Jeremy Chapman from Australia and Dr Mehmet A. Haberal from Turkey also addressed the gathering. The latter presented Dr Rizvi with a shield. A tableau prepared by a visually challenged girl, Zainab, and the nursing staff was also part of the programme.

The symposium will run till Dec 12.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2015