KARACHI - Faisal Edhi has revealed the donations to Edhi Foundation have reduced to a large extent after the death Abdus Sattar Edhi, restraining day-to-day relief activities and service to ailing humanity.

However, the mission started by the world renowned philanthropist would not be stopped at any cost, Faisal Edhi affirmed yesterday.

He was addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day medical conference organised by Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) on the theme “Karachi Con-16” to pay tribute to Abdus Sattar Edhi and to highlight the importance of service to ailing humanity and relief work in case of natural and manmade disasters in the country and abroad.

Faisal Edhi said donation to Edhi Foundation declined after the death of Abdus Sattar and we are in difficult times both emotionally and financially. He urged Pakistanis abroad to cooperate with us so that we could continue Edhi’s mission of serving humanity.

He informed that the Edhi Foundation was going to start the first ever school for training of ambulance drivers, medical technicians and paramedics in Karachi from next month and added that ambulance drivers, paramedics and midwives from entire Pakistan would be trained at the school in Lyari to save lives during conflicts and disasters and to shift injured people to hospitals at the earliest by stabilizing their condition on the spot of accident and trauma.

Director, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) Prof Adibul Hasan Rizvi, lauded PIMA for organizing such a focused conference for medical professionals in Karachi and said Edhi even at his death bed, served suffering humanity by donating both of his corneas which reinstated eye of two persons after his demise.

“Edhi was the person who brought this scattered nation together and served not only in entire Pakistan but also in the outside world and proved that humanity was the biggest cause of his life,” Prof Rizvi said adding that Edhi Foundation had one of the biggest fleet of the ambulances, which was not available in any other country of the world except Pakistan.

Prof Dr Sohail Akhtar, Secretary of the Karachi Con-16 in his address introduced PIMA to guests and participant of the conference and said PIMA was an organization of doctors who feel proud to be Muslims and also serve humanity without any discrimination.

Chairman of the Akhuwat Foundation Dr Amjad Saqib presented the thematic lecture on theme of the medical conference and asked the doctors community to serve people like Muslims of Madina at the time of Hijrat.

Other speakers including eminent Pediatrician and medical stalwart Prof Abdul Ghaffar Billo, Prof Iqbal Afridi and Dr Atif Hafeez Siddiqui also spoke.