Located on the bank of the River Indus in the small beautiful village of Sermik in Baltisatn, the Zubeda Khaliq Memorial Trust was established to provide health care to the poor people of Baltistan.
Since 1980, hundreds of thousands of people have benefited from the Trust, with all services provided totally free of cost. In 2008, a 50 bed hospital funded totally by the founder Dr. Sikander and his family was built in Sermik about 40 kilometers from Skardu.
The Trust now runs a 75-bed hospital known as the Zubeda Khaliq Memorial Free Hospital in Sermik. It has two operation theaters, X-ray facility, OPD, pathology laboratory, dispensary, labour room with 4 beds and a maternity ward that has been operating since the beginning of 2011.
The idea behind running the hospital is different from the norm. Medical officers man the hospital but specialist doctors from all over Pakistan as well other parts of the world are invited to serve at the hospital for one to 8 weeks.
Facilities at the Zubeda Khaliq Memorial Free Hospital
- Routine Treatment
- Chest infection
- Diarrhea & Gastroenteritis
- Endemic diseases
- Typhoid
- Joint diseases
- Hypertension
- Eye diseases
- Ear, nose & throat illness
- Various diseases of children
- Gynaecological problems
- Primary care during pregnancy
- Emergencies
Care for resident doctors, nurses and dispensers at the Hospital through OPD and indoor services provide the above.
- Specialized Treatment
Provision of specialized treatment which is provided by visiting medical specialists (including professors and associate professors) throughout the year from various teaching hospitals of Pakistan and elsewhere except in the months of December and January when weather is extremely cold and roads are blocked due to heavy snow.
The specialists usually come along with their teams, which normally consists of a surgeon, anaesthetist and operation theatre nurse. They work on volunteer basis and perform major surgeries that are usually performed in major hospitals.
The Hospital provides free accommodation, food and transportation to the visiting doctors who are treated as honored guests with respect and affection by the local people of the area. The resident doctors remain in touch through telephone with the visiting medical specialists and seek their advice on patients as needed and also provide post-operative care under guidance of these specialists.
- Facilities available in the Hospital
- Operation Theatres (2)
- Emergency Operation Theatre (1)
- Pathology Laboratory
- Wards with 75 Beds
- Outpatient & Emergency Department
- Dispensary
- X-Ray Facility
- Ultrasound Facility
- Labour Room & Maternity Ward
- Visiting Doctors’ Residence