Sadda Waah (Nusrat Canal, the name was changed after partition. No one knows who Nusrat was.)
There is a saying that charity begins at home. Most of us follow this saying very slowly most of the time. After years of apathy, I decided to use my tiny clout of neutrality and less baggage to draw the attention of the relevant people towards the social, educational, cultural degenration
of the basic unit called Village.
My once proud village is a tiny village on the left bank of Nusrat Canal about six miles south from Kandiaro Town and four miles east of Bhiria Town. It used to be a self-sufficient social unit full of families belonging to diverse professions. There were teachers, railroad workers, farmers,washermen, pottery makers, tailors, zamindars, iron and gold smiths. There were few shops also
sufficient to cater to the needs of many surrounding villages. We had a small flour Mill too along
with some carpentry shop. Village Masjid, Irrigation and Autaqs used to hum with many smiles and social activities. All that has disappeared now as many people have migrated to the nearby towns in search of survival. Third of the population still remains. The once famous and Beautiful Irrigation Bungalow, beside the Locks of the canal above was buldozed 30 years ago under the pretext of building a large one. The bungalow has been built five times and inaugurated umpteen times on the paper, but on the ground there is hardly any trace.. courtsy
of our wonderful department of irrigation. The sound of the rushing waters through the regulator locks of the canal which used to lul us to sleep in the quiet of the night when we were young has disappeared too. In short smilig faces are very rare these days........
The face of depression and helplessness
About 10 years ago a beautiful basic health unit was built on the out skirts of our village. It must have cost more than Rs.40 lacs.
The Front Gate
It is complete with residences for the Physician as well as for the pareamedics. Probably it is designed for 24 hrs 7 days a week project. Some years back I held free consultations clinics with patients rushing from areas more than 50 miles from our village. But then I realised the uselessness of such efforts and had to stop. I was told that this basic unit has been without a doctor for more than 2 years. Lower staff like patewallas were giving out medicine, and one of the patewallas had opened his own clinic giving injections to the helpless patients and killing many in the process. While I was in my village, I was told that the hospital had been raided by the District Health Officer who found four of the five lower staff absent. The absentees were dually suspended. Later, I was pleasantly surprised that the DHO was one of our friends from Mehrabpur Dr. Irshad Talpur. I made plans to meet him and went to see him in his office in Naushahro Town. He informed me that he had already assigned a physician to our basic unit and he will be taking charge with in days. That was wonderful to know. On a follow up from here, I am told that the good doctor is running the basic unit. Dr. Irshad Talpur on my request was also kind enough to issue a written warning there and then to the patewallo who was practicing quackery. I did suggest to him to book such quacks for murder as per commom sense rules. Let us see what he does to control quackery.
Syed Ali Arshad Shah in the middle, with an Orthopedic Surgeon
to his left Left, standing in front of the CCU of District Civil Hospital
Naushahro Feroz.
In Naushahro Town, I also went to meet one of our classmate and a wonderful friend with Ali Arshad Shah. We shared similar interests in matters of heart during the good old college days. These days he manages CCU in Naushahro Hospital and mends some hearts in Moro Town too. We had a very brief meeting and a very passionate exchange on the USE of ABSMN.
To be continued... Primary Schools and meeting with Sindh Secretary of Education
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