Young Ramesh is just one of hundreds helped by medical projects in Pakistan run by Columbans and other religious groups.
By Fr. Robert McCulloch

In Pakistan, health care is not part of everyday existence. Tens of thousands are inflicted with curable diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria and polio. HIV-AIDS is a lesser but growing problem.

In particular, the statistics for tuberculosis (TB) are staggering: some 250,000 TB cases are registered every year in Pakistan, killing up to 60,000 people each year. TB, a disease of the lungs, is easily transmitted so it spreads quickly.

TB medication is expensive and difficult to obtain in Pakistan, and no new TB medicines are available to battle a disease that often has become resistant to drugs because traditional therapies haven’t been applied correctly.

Against this tragic backdrop, much of the ministry of Columbans and other religious groups involves providing health care to Pakistan’s extremely poor people who have nowhere else to turn when they fall ill.

These health-care services are made possible by the continued financial support of generous Columban donors.

Ramesh’s parents, Kamu and Elizabeth, remained at his bedside during his medical ordeal.

Christians, Hindus and Muslims work harmoniously in the administrative and medical staffs at St. Elizabeth’s, serving poor Pakistanis.

Ramesh’s parents, Kamu and Elizabeth, had brought him to the Mother and Child Health Care Ministry medical clinic set up by the Columbans in the village of Badin, where Ramesh was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.

An ambulance rushed Ramesh to St. Elizabeth’s where it was found that he had a perforated intestine caused by prolonged typhoid. Ramesh’s condition was aggravated by TB.

An operation was needed, and the surgeon informed Ramesh’s parents that their son had a 15-percent chance of surviving the surgery.

But four weeks after the surgery, Ramesh was able to return to his home in Badin with his parents. One of the dedicated Catholic nurses who had cared for Ramesh said that the smiles of happiness and delight on the faces of the boy’s parents as they left the hospital was the best reward the nurses could have received.

While Ramesh was recovering, the hospital made sure the medical needs of Kamu and Elizabeth were also addressed. Like his son, Kamu was found to have TB. They were referred to our TB clinic in Badin where father and son received free medication for nine months that led to both being cured of this sickness.

The generosity of Columban benefactors and supporters enable this long course of medication to be provided free of charge not only to Kamu and Ramesh, but also to 510 other impoverished TB patients who come to the clinics set up by Columbans at Badin and nearby villages.

As with so many of the people who come to St Elizabeth’s,both Kamu and Elizabeth were severely malnourished. Hopefully, the ongoing care set up for them and their family will help to overcome this.

The total charges for Ramesh’s operation and hospital care (his parents were cared for free of cost) came to 40,000 rupees ($850), of which 10,000 rupees were surgeon’s fees and 1,650 rupees ($45) were hospital charges. The rest was spent on medicines.

When Ramesh’s father heard that the full amount had been paid through the generosity of Columban benefactors, he simply said, “But why? We are nobody.”

Ramesh continues to improve. In October, he plans to enroll in an adult literacy program so he can learn a trade. And Kamu and Elizabeth benefit from their regular monthly visits to the Columban medical care program in Badin.

Columban Father Robert McCulloch has been a missionary in Pakistan since 1978.