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Islamabad hospital receives first orthopaedic bed from Brad Pitt and UNHCR
28 December 2005
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, December 28 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency today handed
over the first orthopaedic bed donated by actor Brad Pitt to earthquake victims
at an Islamabad hospital.
Dr. Syed Fazle Hadi, Executive Director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical
Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad, received the first of 40 beds from UNHCR’s
Representative in Pakistan, Guenet Guebre-Christos. Worth over US$100,000 in
total, the donation was made through UNHCR by Pitt when he visited Pakistan in
late November with the agency’s Goodwill Ambassador, Angelina Jolie.
"We are grateful to our donor, Mr. Brad Pitt, for supporting the relief effort
for the earthquake-affected people of Pakistan,” said Guebre-Christos. “This
donation will bring comfort to the injured and facilitate the work of the
dedicated hospital staff of PIMS.”
The Islamabad hospital was overwhelmed after the October 8 earthquake that
killed over 73,000 people and left an equal number injured. Casualties were
flown in hourly from devastated areas in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and North
West Frontier Province. Twelve weeks later, the situation has stabilized at the
hospital, but remaining patients – including 504 people with spinal injuries and
654 amputees – still need a high level of care.
“It’s not easy to look after quadriplegic patients, who are prone to bed and
pressure sores if they stay in the same position for too long,” said Dr. Hadi.
“But these beds tilt from side to side and move up and down using electronic
switches and hydraulics. They will make it easier for nurses to move the
patients.”
He added, “This donation should be seen as an example for other philanthropists
and good people to help the patients. We now have one rehabilitation centre and
are building a second one in Islamabad. Both will need gymnasiums for
physiotherapy to help spinal injury patients strengthen their upper bodies. We
also hope to have vocational training facilities to teach them how to make a
living despite their disabilities. Some of them will walk again; most will not.”
UNHCR, too, has been trying to help quake victims get back on their feet through
a range of relief activities. The agency has so far distributed 19,439 tents,
431,184 blankets, 60,413 plastic sheets, 1,531 plastic rolls, 15,886 mattresses,
24,908 jerry cans, 20,008 kitchen sets, 1,359 sleeping bags and 31,628 bars of
soap in the affected areas. It is now in the middle of a winterization campaign
to provide everyone in relief camps with 3 blankets each and every tent with two
plastic sheets and four mattresses.
As lead agency for camp management, UNHCR is currently providing material and
technical support to the Pakistan authorities and NGOs in 37 planned camps and
hundreds of spontaneous camps housing a total of 184,460 quake survivors. The
agency offers advice on site planning and coordinates the delivery of services
like water, sanitation, health care and education in camps. It also has 39
mobile teams to build latrines and communal kitchens where needed, and to
sensitise camp communities on issues like winterization, fire safety and
hygiene.
Media Contact: Vivian Tan, Mobile: 0300 500 1133
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