By Anwer Khan Lodhi
ROJHAN, RAJANPUR: A free meal programme at H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Hospital in Rojhan is providing practical and financial relief to patients and their attendants by ensuring that those in need receive two meals a day during their stay at the healthcare facility.
The initiative caters to around 50 patients and attendants every day. For families travelling from surrounding rural areas for medical treatment, the provision of food can help ease one of the everyday expenses associated with prolonged hospital stays.
H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Hospital was donated in 2004 by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, former president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi, as a humanitarian initiative for the people of Rojhan and adjoining areas of Rajanpur district.
The 40-bed hospital was established to improve access to healthcare in a relatively remote part of southern Punjab. Over the years, it has served patients from Rojhan and neighbouring communities, many of whom have to travel considerable distances to seek medical attention.
For patients undergoing treatment, however, healthcare is only one part of the challenge. Their attendants may remain at the hospital for several hours or even days, often with limited means to arrange regular meals. The free food initiative seeks to address this additional burden.
Two meals are provided daily to eligible patients and attendants. The food is distributed at the hospital in an organised manner, with attention to both quantity and quality.
As part of the arrangements, the meals are checked by the medical doctor on duty before distribution. The measure is intended to ensure that the food meets appropriate standards and is suitable for the people receiving it.
Hospital service staff bring the food trolleys to different sections of the facility before the meals are served to patients and their attendants.
The initiative is modest in scale but significant in its immediate impact. For families already dealing with the costs and uncertainty of illness, access to regular meals can remove a basic concern and allow them to concentrate more fully on treatment and recovery.
The programme also reflects a broader approach to hospital-based welfare, in which assistance extends beyond medical care to address some of the practical difficulties faced by patients and their families.
In a district where many communities remain distant from major urban healthcare centres, institutions such as H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Hospital play an important role in providing accessible medical and humanitarian support.
The continuation of the free meal programme alongside medical services gives the hospital’s welfare role another dimension, helping ensure that patients and their attendants are not left to cope with the basic necessity of food while seeking treatment.
For the beneficiaries, the assistance is perhaps best measured in simple terms: a nutritious meal arriving at a time when arranging one may otherwise be difficult. In a hospital environment, that small measure of support can make a considerable difference to families already under strain.