SIUT – An 8-bed facility that turned into a full-scale project saving countless lives every year, just because one man wasn’t afraid to start out small…yet, kept dreaming big.
It has been many years since I spent Ramazan in Pakistan. This year will be different. I plan to spend the month at home. Yes, your mom’s house is always your home, right? I reckon many things might have changed. The Jalebi might not be so crisp, or crispier? The Bun kebab wala has moved shop or shut down, I heard, sadly, the owner had passed away. The Akhbar wala has probably changed too… there will be new places to try, to taste, to shop & to fall in love with no doubt.
But, what stays the same pulls us back just as much as the charm of new places.
Ramazan is a time I recall forever and ever when my mother would take out her cheque book and write a donation to SIUT. It was a given. I would often ask, “Why SIUT?”, but she never really answered. It was something she did, just like preparing iftar, making clothes for Eid, or planning the Eid lunch. SIUT was part of the Ramazan deal. And so, when the latest advert for SIUT popped up on my YouTube feed, I watched, thinking “I know what I know already” but let’s watch in the spirit of Ramazan, and slip into my happy anticipation of spending the month back home.
The Frames Reached Out To Speak To Me
The 5-minute advert based on a true story, with Black & White vintage frames throws you back instantly to 1971. I can’t tell whether it was in the posture adopted by Talat Hussain, who played dada, perched on a chair, walking stick in hand, or the ribbon bound folder, the grey, steel-doored cupboard (oh so vintage) Wahaj Ali’s quizzical expressions (matching mine), or the glimpses of SIUT wards that spoke of humble beginnings – an 8-bed facility that hoped to conquer an illness that afflicts thousands in Pakistan today, with treatment that is both costly & time-consuming – the advert touched a raw nerve. Just because, one man wasn’t afraid to start out small…but yet kept dreaming big. And so can we.
The advert reminded us of a timeless life philosophy. In the words of celebrated writer & poet Allama Iqbal “Pewasta Reh Shajar Se, Umeed-e-Bahar Rakh” – Remain Attached To The Tree To Keep The Expectation Of Spring Alive – Allama Iqbal
In other words, make sure you pass on and give back to the generations that come after you, so that they may prosper and live on, just like a tree bears fruit every spring.
I once visited the premises in the early 1990s and was taken aback to see the simple, bare-basic, yet highly effective arrangements. It was, even then, a model that worked, and worked beautifully, with all its heart and soul, with a single goal ahead – saving lives.
“Dada, yeh derh rupay se kya houta hai? He asks his grandfather. The advert gives a very humble message – Every rupee counts. It also tells us why success is in keeping to your mission – unwavering, committed, and clear. Dada’s one and a half rupee per month towards SIUT, his diligent support of the institution perhaps mirrored, in true life example, the steadfastness of its founder Dr. Adeeb Rizvi, who kept at his mission with a tunnel vision – Not taking out time to look sideways or get sidetracked from his main objective, not losing hope and marching on.
A word on both Talat Hussain and Wahaj Ali for giving us a heartfelt 5 minutes onscreen – a very noble initiative that will go a long way in saving lives. Kudos to Jami Azaad for displaying exceptional directorial skills handling the narrative with deep sensitivity and thought.
A Little Goes A Long Way
If you are wondering how to support so many charities on a single income, the advert gives you sound advice – stay in it for the long haul. Keep giving, every penny counts, keep committed and don’t stray from your objective. 1 and 1/2 rupee per month can accumulate over a life time to make a difference – save lives and keep loved ones alive amidst their families.
When I am not there, he will come. The grandfather gestures to his grandson as he deposits the 1 and a half rupee – carry on the good work. You might not be there, but humanity will benefit. It is all about setting the right priorities & following through on your pledge.
Wisdom from Allama Iqbal with Abida Parveen’s vocals “Kahoon Dost se Dost ki baat kya kya” – What wondrous secrets can I speak to the Divine Friend Who knows it all! … Yes we too, know it all but sometimes we need a gentle reminder. The SIUT advert reminded me that a small action, a humble donation, still counts in a big way.
The newspaper clippings of SIUT’s journey, from humble beginnings to a world-class facility promising health treatment along with keeping patient dignity intact is perhaps, all we need to remind us that we too, can do more. Baby steps will take us where we need to get one day … don’t lose hope. As of Feb 2022, SIUT has launched Free of Cost Robotic surgery in Pakistan – one of its many accomplishments over the past 50 years.
About The Founder
Dr. Adeebul Hasan Rizvi graduated from Dow Medical College in Karachi, Pakistan in 1968. He pursued his postgraduate training in the UK. After finishing his studies there, he returned to Pakistan with a container full of medical equipment. While living in the UK, he was inspired by the National Health Service (NHS) and decided to try that idea in Pakistan. Dr. Rizvi set up an eight-bed urology ward at the Civil Hospital, Karachi in 1970.
SIUT started as an eight-bed ward at Civil Hospital, Karachi, and has grown to be Pakistan’s leading & largest Urology and Transplantation Institute. In 2003, Dr. Rizvi led a team of SIUT surgeons that performed the first successful liver transplant on an infant in Pakistan.
SIUT conducts 1100 dialysis per day. It has carried out a total of 6511 transplants to date. If we count from 1971, that’s about 130 patients per year who received a new kidney, and hence, a lease on life. The facility treats over 1500 outpatients daily and free of cost.
The advert not only reminded me to be a part of the change, of giving hope, of carrying on the good work but also that we are finite humans in this race for achieving good, we must never forget that our actions today can live long after we’re gone. We can affect & help the lives of many if we believe that even a little bit might go a long way – where humble beginnings & grand dreams meet each other. And with this thought in mind, I wait for my mother to pull out her cheque book, as I pull out mine, and my son, his piggy bank – a little goes a long way.
If this SIUT ad moved you to tears just like it did me, then don’t let those tears go to waste. Donate now and make a difference.
