Hyderabad: Proving that mosques can play a larger role beyond merely serving as places of worship, a city-based NGO set-up a health care centre in the mosque located in Osman Nagar, the area which is flooded for over 100 days now.
Helping Hand Foundation (HHF), in collaboration with US-based Support for Education and Economic Development (SEED), opened clinics in three mosques in the city, including Masjid Mohammed-e-Mustafa, Masjid-e-Ishaq, and now at Masjid Omer Al Shifa at Saif Colony in Osman Nagar.
Located in close proximity to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Osman Nagar has been one of the worst-affected localities following the heavy rains that ravaged the city in October. Houses in the locality had been inundated up to two-floor height, for nearly 100 days with no respite.
Now that the water is slowly reducing, HHF has set up a clinic in Masjid Omer Al Shifa, which was recently destructed in the floods.
“This Primary Health Care Centre in the mosque center will provide not only high-quality primary health services but will also have all adjuvant services like dental health, prevention and control of NCDs, children and women’s health and nutritional services,” said Mujtaba Hasan Askari, founder of HHF.
“This is a third public health care facility established in a Masjid,” added Askari.
The NGO embarked on the new initiative realizing the need to focus on the healthcare needs of women and children, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has made things worse for women and children’s health.
The centre, which is functional from the last week, was formally launched on Saturday and is catering to 200-250 out-patients daily. Most residents are still to recover fully from the aftershocks of the floods and dwindling economic situation and were in need of affordable and easily accessible health care services.
