Karachi's Heat Stroke Victims Fund

The scorching heat in Karachi has claimed over a thousand lives in the course of three days. Many more thousands have been hospitalized due to heat strokes and dehydration. Heat-stroke is a severe form of hyperthermia and dehydration is extreme loss of fluids from the body. Both are considered a medical emergency and require immediate attention. Taking care of the patients has been implicated by the already acute power and water shortages facing the coastal city. Combined with the oncoming of Ramadan, an Islamic month where Muslims observe periods of fasting, the surge in heat has made water a scarce commodity.

My name is Saroosh Hussain Khan and I am currently a medical student at Jinnah Sindh Medical University in Karachi, Pakistan. At my university’s hospital alone, we have received more than 300 bodies, most notably of the elderly, the sick and small children. There are hundreds more that are being admitted every day and require prompt treatment. Basic treatment consists of lowering patient body temperature through cold compresses such as applying ice packs to the armpits, groin, neck and the back which are all rich vascularized areas of the body. Another method of treatment is submerging the patient in cold water or an ice bath. All of these treatments necessitate a core resource: water.

I decided to use gofundme.com after being inspired by one of my high school friends’ who is currently participating in 4k for Cancer run from San Francisco to New York City. My target is only $1000 at the moment. A bottle of water in Karachi costs 20 cents. If you can help me get as many water bottles as possible into my university’s hospital, you would be saving countless lives.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Saroosh H. Khan.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/23/pakistan-heat-wave_n_7642576.html