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The delegation which arrived in Pakistan on December 11, 2005 included Dr. Maqbool Arshad from Milwaukee, Wisconsinand Dr. Tariq Malik from Rhode Island. There were four physical therapists: Jamie Istwan and Sharon Shillin, of Aurora Sinai Hospital Milwaukee, Wisconsin Susan Steinmetz, of St. Francis Hospital Milwaukee, Wisconsin Imtiaz Ahmad, of Crescent Rehabilitation Center, Chicago, Illinois We conducted three physical therapy seminars and workshops. The first workshop was held at Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad on December 13th and 14th. 70 people were in attendance, representing 15 hospitals from Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Abbotabad and Lahore. The second workshop was held on December 15th and 16th at the Armed Forces Postgraduate Medical Institute and the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in Rawalpindi. The seminar was attended by more than 300 delegates, which included physicians and rehabilitation staff. Workshops were attended by physical therapy department personnel as well as the nursing staff The third workshop was held on December 17th and 18th at Ayub Medical College in Abbottabad. This workshop was attended by over 50 people from the neurosurgical, orthopedic and rehabilitation departments at Ayub Medial College and was also attended by the staff of Combined Military Hospital in Abbottabad. All the workshops were interactive. The U.S. delegation made presentations in both English and Urdu. The presentations in Urdu were of great help as there were 10 health care workers from Muzaffarabad who only understood Urdu. The course materials, which included a physical therapy assistant binder of 270 pages, above-knee and below-knee amputation booklets, and therapeutic exercises manuals, were distributed to all the delegates and representatives of the various hospitals. The hospitals were requested to reproduce these documents and use them in training seminars for their staff as well as for members of local health departments. A large number of prosthetic donations were given to the Armed Forces Institute of Rehabilitation. A physical therapy clinic was set up with the cooperation of the health department in Muzaffarabad, Kashmir, under the supervision of its district health officer, Dr. Sardar Mahmood. At the request of the delegation, Dr. Zakir Hussain, a physician at the health department in Muzaffarabad, was assigned for further training and he will be directing the new rehabilitation clinic. The equipment for this new clinic was donated by Family Health Organization. The donated equipment included belts, tubings, boards for patient transfer along with mobility devices. More than 100 pair of crutches, 30 walkers, canes and other devices were donated by the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. Some equipment was purchased locally, which included weights and a parallel bar. Some members of the delegation visited Muzaffarabad. A large amount of medicine was donated to the District Health Officer. The members visited a small village of approximately 250 people about 12 miles from Muzaffarabad. Two tents were provided to house the primary school. Blankets, winter clothes and money donated by school children, families and physicians in Wisconsin were distributed to the families of the dead and injured. Money collected by the members of SalamSchool, Milwaukee, was donated to two schools that needed school uniforms, books, supplies, bags and other items. This was indeed a humbling but positive experience for all members of the delegation. The people who attended the workshops, the patients who we visited in the hospitals, and the villagers, were immensely grateful to all of you who donated for this cause. There is still a lot that needs to be done so please consider any further donations that you would like to make to Family Health Organization as we are planning to send another delegation in March. There are no overheads in this project and every dollar you give will go directly towards the earthquake relief efforts in Pakistan. You can specify if you would like your donation to go towards health care, schools, shelters or direct monetary help to the victims. Thank you very much for your support. Sincerely, Maqbool Arshad
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First Rehabilitation Clinic is established and patients are being treated with your generosity.