Rawalpindi Medical College Overseas Foundation (RMCOF)
Welcome
to Rawalpindi
Medical College Overseas Foundation (RMCOF) web site. RMCOF is a charitable organization
founded by the graduates of Rawalpindi Medical College who are
practicing in various medical specialties all over the globe. The goals
and objectives of this foundation are to ease the sufferings of poor
patient population of Pakistan especially in and around the twin cities
of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
During
the recent APPNA conference in Washington DC, RMCOF Board
Directors met and unanimously elected Babar Rao, MD as the new Chairman
of RMCOF. The board thanked outgoing chairman Amer Akmal, MD for his
efforts in the past. During RMCAANA alumni dinner $80,000 were raised
for the RMCOF Burn Center in Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
| RMCOF Mission Statement |
In order to achieve our objectives we plan to work with the
following mission in mind:
- RMCOF will work as a charitable organization with the purpose of collecting funds to finance new and improve existing health care projects.
- To initiate projects in the hospitals and institutions affiliated with Rawalpindi Medical College, in the areas and specialties that are either non existent or have been neglected in the past due to lack of appropriate expertise or funding.
- Setting up a “BURN CENTER” is our first project and priority, as no other field is as much neglected as treating the burn patients in Pakistan. Treatable burn injuries are causing permanent deformities and precious lives are lost each day due to lack of a proper burn center. We also aim to set up a small surgical unit at Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi, where our surgical and anesthesia specialists living overseas can provide benefit from their skill and expertise to the poor patients free of cost on rotational basis on their visit to Pakistan Help volunteer organizations associated or affiliated with RMC both financially and with professional expertise who are working for the benefit of poor population.
| The inspiration for RMCOF |
The calamity that hit Pakistan in October, 2005 was the worst
devastation
ever seen by our country
of origin since its birth. The 2005
earthquake that hit the Northern areas and Kashmir, left thousands dead,
scores of people injured, and millions homeless. As this saga of misery,
pain, and suffering was unfolding in front of our eyes, many of us-the
Rawalpindi Medical College graduates who were working overseas rushed
from across the globe to provide professional, financial, and material
help to our people in their hour of need.
We came from UK, USA, Australia, South Africa, Middle East, either as individuals or in groups to give whatever assistance we could! We worked day and night with thousands of other volunteers to save as many lives as possible, but “Was it Enough”? As the dust started to settle down, and we sat in camps or hospitals lounges we started to talk and discuss. We saw, what we were able to achieve in such a short time when we came together and worked with commitment and dedication. As we started to analyze the situation, the stark reality that hit all of us immediately was the pathetic condition of our health care system and the plight of our poor people, who have no where to turn, except the extremely understaffed, ill equipped, and obsolete health care facilities and hospitals. The unfortunate part was that we had trained in these very hospitals and lived amongst these very people. Once we left Pakistan we forgot about our own and got so busy in our lives that we never looked back as to what was happening back home.
This disaster opened our eyes and we all decided to do something for our country of origin. We the members of RMCAANA (Rawalpindi Medical College Alumni Association of North America), Rawalpindi Medical College Alumni of UK, Rawalpindi Medical College Alumni of South Africa, Rawalpindi Medical College Alumni of Australia, Rawalpindi Medical College Alumni of Middle East and all the graduates of RMC from across the globe wherever they are based, made a commitment to each other that we will join hands in the formation of Rawalpindi Medical College Overseas Foundation, Inc. (RMCOF) with a mission to finance and launch charitable projects to improve the delivery of health care to the poor and underserved population, particularly in the Rawalpindi and Islamabad area and in general all over Pakistan.
After RMCOF's inception, we studied the situation in the existing teaching hospitals affiliated with Rawalpindi Medical College and came to the conclusion that there was an urgent need to develop a comprehensive Burn Center in Rawalpindi. There are no such units in the Rawalpindi area and many burn patients loose their lives due to the lack of such facility. In collaboration with Rawalpindi Medical College authorities, the Board of Directors of RMCOF launched the “Burn Center” at Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi as our first project. This is just the beginning, with time we intend to undertake many more such projects to help the poor and needy patients.
We will work as a charitable and non-profit organization and we invite all Rawalians, no matter which part of the world they reside, to come and join our hands in this noble cause. RMCOF has already been registered as a charitable organization in the US and a plan is underway to do the same in UK.