KARACHI – Over 3,000 children were treated in the Emergency Rooms of government hospitals in Karachi amid torrential rain crises.
The recent spell of heavy monsoon rains brought significant challenges in Karachi, including urban flooding, traffic disruptions, power outages, and interruptions to daily life.
Despite these hardships, Karachi showed remarkable resilience, with many individuals and institutions stepping up to support communities and maintain essential services in the face of adversity.
One such story of resilience is the uninterrupted functioning of Children’s Emergency Rooms (ERs) in government hospitals, fully operational through a strong public–private partnership model. Even as large parts of the city were submerged, ChildLife managed ERs in six public hospitals across Karachi continued to provide free, round-the-clock emergency care to children.
In the past three days, over 3,000 children have been treated across these facilities in Karachi. There has been a notable surge in cases of gastroenteritis, illnesses directly linked to contaminated water and unhygienic conditions following the flooding.
Despite the overwhelming patient load and significant logistical challenges, the dedicated clinical teams remained steadfast, a true silver lining during the urban flooding crisis.
Dr. Ahson Rabbani, CEO of ChildLife Foundation, stated, “In times when the city is paralysed, our duty is to ensure that no child is left unattended. We honour our ER team across Karachi who have remained steadfast as frontline heroes and ensured that every child receives the emergency care they need.”
In partnership with the Sindh government, ChildLife manages ten pediatric Emergency Rooms in tertiary care hospitals. Its integrated telemedicine network has enabled emergency care access to children across all tehsils of the province, ensuring that no child is more than 30 minutes away from quality emergency care.
ChildLife Foundation currently provides life-saving treatment to over two million children annually across Pakistan, 24/7 and completely free of charge. The organisation has played a pivotal role in expanding and modernising emergency care for children across the country.
