Anwar Maqsood inaugurates senior citizens’ primary care unit at LNH

Legendary satirist and humorist Anwar Maqsood Tuesday inaugurated a ‘Senior Citizens Primary Care Unit’ at Liaquat National Hospital, terming it a paradise for old-age people in Karachi where all medical, physical and mental health needs, and recreational facilities are provided under one roof.

He urged public sector hospitals to come up with such facilities for the older people. “I have visited this place and found out that this was not an old-age home. It is a heaven for elderly people where five to six consultants are available, trained and qualified nurses help the elderly people while they have also been provided recreational and physical health facilities,” Maqsood said while talking to journalists at inaugurating the senior citizens’ health facility at the LNH.

Another legendary personality and cricketer, Sadiq Muhammad, Medical Director LNH Dr Salman Faridi, Anjum Rizvi as well as notables of the society and others were also present.

On the occasion, the administration of Liaquat National Hospital announced giving life membership of the Senior Citizens Primary Care Unit to both Anwar Maqsood and Sadiq Muhammad, saying both of them could spend as much time at the facility as they wanted and whenever they needed medical assistance.

Maqsood maintained that there was nothing more agonizing then loneliness in the older age, but older people could now come to a place where they could talk to other people, avail medical facilities, enjoy recreational services made available to them and most importantly be with other people instead of spending time at their homes with nobody listening or talking to them.

Lauding LNH Medical Director Dr Salman Faridi, Maqsood said that under his leadership, Liaquat National Hospital had emerged as one of the best health facilities in Pakistan where all medical, mental health and physical needs of people were being met at one place. He added that more such centres should be established in the public sectors.

Legendary cricketer Sadiq Muhammad also praised the administration of the LNH, especially its medical director Dr Salman Faridi for coming up with an innovative idea to help senior citizens, who had to spend most of their time with nobody taking care of them. He hoped that people would avail this facility to help their ailing parents.

Speaking on the occasion, LNH Medical Director Dr Salman Faridi said that earlier they had established a daycare centre for children of those mothers who worked so that they could have a place where their children could be taken care of in their absence, and now they had established a facility for senior citizens so that they could be taken care of medically and where they could be provided an environment where they could feel at ease.

“And most importantly, this is not a commercial venture. People have to hire servants to take care of their parents but those servants cannot take proper care of elderly people who are suffering from various ailments. Here at this place, we are have arranged five to six consultants, trained staff, recreational and physical health facilities while they can also enjoy the atmosphere and be with people of their own age.”

Dr Faridi said that in addition to highly qualified doctors and trained nurses, there would be nutritionists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and counselors to take care of the psychological and social healthcare needs of the elderly people under one roof.