At a ceremony in Peshawar in November 2008, kits designed for the initial care of trauma victims in hospital were presented to representatives of the FATA agencies. The first FATA training courses for doctors in Primary Trauma Care (PTC) were in December 2007 and January 2008 when the feed back from the delegates emphasised that there was a severe shortage of basic equipment for treating trauma cases. It was, therefore with considerable pride that the chairman of IDEALS, John Beavis, presented the first two of, hopefully, many such kits to representatives of FATA and surgeons from the Bajaur and South Waziristan Agencies. The equipment had been purchased as a result of donations to IDEALS and provision of further kits will be entirely dependent on future financial support. The event was organised, with their usual great efficiency, by our local partners CAMP (Community Aid and Motivation Programme).
The security situation has changed considerably since IDEALS began its work in Pakistan and on this occasion the chairman of the meeting thanked John Beavis for risking his life to journey to the city of Peshawar. Although quiet on the surface, the criminality which follows the social disruption caused by wars is evident in the media reports. Within the past year there has been a massive increase in armed robberies, murder and abductions.
It is the view of IDEALS that the present desperate times confirm that we are right to maintain our presence and offer assistance in those medical fields where we can provide material and educational help.
Sun 30 Nov 2008