Last year after the Free Eye Camp in Mirpur in April 2010, volunteer Haider Ramzan wrote this blog entry “Haider Ramzan’s Blog on Eye Camp”. Haider’s blog proved very popular at the time, and even now remains one of the most popular pages on this website.

Muhammad Saad Mansha is also a long-term volunteer for PakTrust. He felt compelled to write his own blog entry following the recent Free Eye Camp in Jhelum on 22-23 October 2011. This is his account:

THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF MY LIFE

Muhammad Saad Mansha helping patients in the Doctors Room.

I, Muhammad Saad Mansha, am a student from Mirpur in Azad Kashmir. I am aged 20 and a regular volunteer of PakTrust. I participated in almost all the activities especially in all the eye camps performed by PakTrust. The most important principle of this organisation which I observed throughout all the eye camps is its discipline and equality.

What discipline have I observed?

The answer is quite simple. When a patient enters the eye camp he or she has to move through a comprehensive set of procedures. For example:

• From registration to the check up.
• From laboratory tests to the operation bed.
• And from final check up to the door step

There is a comprehensive set of procedures which has to be observed by all the patients. Here this discipline can also be termed as rules or regulations. And throughout all the procedures, the volunteers and staff of PakTrust are always with the patients to show them the right direction. Not only volunteers but the Chairperson (Sajid Ramzan) and Country Manager (Faisal Shahzad) of PakTrust along with the PakTrust Pakistan Trustees – they all participate in taking care of all the activities happening in camps and control the whole procedures whilst ensuring the patients are treated with the utmost respect and kindness.

What equality have I observed?

For PakTrust all the patients are equal. No VIP protocol is given to any patient. Every patient is alloted a separate registration number. Every patient is checked by the doctors based on the registration number. No one can break the number line. Some people try to become VIP but they are not allowed to do so. Sometimes people try to become extra smart and try to cheat the registration number system but when they enter the doctor’s room they are captured by one of the our volunteers checking the registration number system. Queue jumpers are returned to their position in the registration number.

All of the volunteers and administrative staff of PakTrust are well-educated, civilized, and young with high moral characters. They know that how to talk with a patient. They know that how to treat the elderly. They know that how to work together like a team. They also know that how to handle a complicated patient. They consider the old patients as their parents or grandparents and treat them in a polite manner. We the volunteers of PakTrust call the old women as “Amma G” (Mother) and call the old man as “Baba G……” (Grand Pa!).

THE FREE EYE CAMP IN JHELUM (Oct 2011)

Recently I participated as a volunteer again in the free surgical eye camp at the Jaan Sadiq Memorial Building Jhelum (PakTrust Free Dispensary) on 22-23 October 2011. That was a hugely moving and inspirational activity. Below are the activities I participated in:

21 Oct 2011 – Day Before Eye Camp

I went to Jhelum one day before the camp (as I live in Mirpur). Along with one of the Trustees (Haji Munir Hussain), Country Manager (Faisal Shahzad) and some of the volunteers I arranged the necessary things which were to be needed during the camp days. We decided the locations for registration, parking, waiting, laboratory and set the wards. We arranged the beds and operation tables for operation theatre. We fixed the banners on the walls. We set the doctor’s room and laboratory.

22 Oct 2011 – Day 1 of Eye Camp

On the first day of the eye camp, I got up at 5:00 am. After taking shower I offered prayers and got ready for the camp. I was so excited that I could not sleep the whole night properly. After breakfast I went to the Jaan Sadiq Memorial Building. Firstly when there was a huge crowd the Country Manager asked me to do registration. When the crowd was controlled he asked me to assist in the doctor’s room . I went inside and took every patient separately to the doctor for check up one by one.

By 2:00 pm check up of all the patients were done. After that I went upstairs in localization room. I was asked to help Bilal (Supervisor of the POB Trust team) in localisng the patient before operation. During localising we also had lunch break at 4:30 pm . we finished our work at 9:00 pm. Till then 53 operations were done successfully. All the extra volunteers went home. I along with 3 other volunteers stayed there to take care of the patients staying there. After every one hour we got up and visited the wards. On that night I slept at 5:00 am and got up again at 6:30am.

23 Oct 2011 – Day 2 of Eye Camp

Muhammad Saad Mansha with Bilal (POB Trust) and Faisal Shahzad (PakTrust Country Manager) - from left to right.

The second day of the camp was rainy day. It was very cold on that day. After changing I did some photography. I photographed the patients who were operated yesterday. While doing so I was called in the doctor’s room and I again started my work to help the doctor in check up. Again at 2:00 pm I came upstairs and started helping in localising the patients.

After some time I wore the gown and requested the camp supervisor of POB Trust to go inside the operation theatre and watch the surgery. he allowed me to do so. I visited the OT and watched the surgeries. On that day I met with one of the doctors of POB Trust (Dr. Ashhal). He inspired me alot with his way of talking and with his polite manners. He was the person who was liked by every one. After completing the whole work we ( volunteers PakTrust and POB Trust team) dined together. I went to my uncle’s home. After discussing the whole activity with my brothers I slept.

24 Oct 2011 – Day After Eye Camp

Next day the camp was over but I was there early in the morning. The patients operated yesterday arrived. After their final check up, we took them to the door and bade them ALLAH HAFIZ (God protect you). On that day we also packed the things. After that we saw off the POB Trust team with our prayers.  After closing I was very sad. I was going to miss that beautiful time.

Muhammad Saad Mansha with the POB Trust and PakTrust teams

WHAT I GAINED FROM THE EXPERIENCE ???????

This is a very difficult question to describe……!!!!!! There are somethings in the world which people do for the satisfaction of their mind, soul and heart. For me working as a volunteer, for helping the people (the poor, the elderly) is the best job for the satisfaction of my mind, soul and heart. The moments when patient’s place their hands on our head, and say good words for us and when they pray to ALLAH for us are indeed THE MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS OF MY LIFE.

I think that these moments are not only memorable for me but also for other volunteers and administrative staff of PakTrust because I have seen many times the tears of satisfaction in the eyes of the Chairperson, the Trustee and the Country Manager of PakTrust during these moments.

Patients praying after surgery for those that have made treatment possible for them

May ALLAH help PakTrust to continue its work ……………..Ameen!!!!!!!!

If you have any questions – please leave a note below. I will be happy to answer these.

By Muhammad Saad Mansha (PakTrust Volunteer).