Swindon & Wiltshire News
Pharmacy tech company Invatech funds Syrian medical centre
Bristol-based pharmacy tech company Invatech Health is funding a medical centre in a new village for families displaced by war and disaster in Northern Syria.
Its founder, pharmacy tech entrepreneur Tariq Muhammad, recently visited the region in a four-day trip organised by Action for Humanity, an NGO which provides clean water food, shelter, healthcare and education for millions of Syrians.
As part of a delegation which included four UK pharmacists, he saw first hand the plight and suffering of thousands of people, mostly children, whose lives have been shattered by a decade of civil war.
Since the conflict in Syria started in March 2011, more than six million people have been displaced and over one million are now living in tents.
The tragedy was made worse last year following the earthquake in neighbouring Turkey which destroyed even more homes across the region.
To help, Invatech Health, which is based in Eastville in Bristol, has donated £54,000 to fully fund a new medical centre in the village which Action for Humanity is building. The donation is one of the charity’s largest ever single donor contributions.
The centre will include a pharmacy and will provide healthcare services – including clinics for gynaecology, internal disease, paediatrics, dentistry, physiotherapy, radiography and pharmacy – to 4,000 vulnerable people.
The new village will include new houses, complete with two bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom, providing homes for 750 families.
Tariq is appealing to other UK business owners to help raise a further £125,000 to fund 50 homes in the new village and help those in desperate need in Syria – victims of a conflict which is often overshadowed in the national consciousness by those in Ukraine and Gaza.
“My visit to Syria was a humbling experience and I was not prepared for what I saw,” he said. “There were thousands of people living in squalid conditions with hardly any food or clean water.
“I visited a campsite where I saw children sitting in stagnant water. I sat in a tent where the father told me he burns bits of plastic to generate heat for his family.
“Having seen first-hand the suffering of so many people and the impact Action for Humanity is making, I felt compelled to help. For many it may seem only a drop in the ocean but every contribution we can make can change the lives of desperate people.
“As a pharmacist, I wanted to support the healthcare provision in the village as I have witnessed the amazing work doctors, nurses and pharmacists are already doing.
“In recent months much of the focus in the Middle East has turned to the appalling devastation in Gaza and understandably people are concerned about the humanitarian suffering over there.
“But Syria is a reminder of the aftermath of war and what displacement following a devastating conflict looks like.”
“I hope that the business community will support me to help raise funds for the 50 houses. If 50 businesses can pay for one house each that would be incredible, but any amount is greatly appreciated and will contribute to the whole project.”
Tariq has promised to personally oversee the allocation of funds and ensure that every penny donated will go towards the funding of the new village.
The village project is due to start in the next couple of months and Tariq will be making a visit to Syria again later this year to check the progress.
Jacob Marais, spokesman for Action for Humanity, said: “Thirteen years of suffering brought about by war, has been compounded by last year’s earthquake to create one of the worst humanitarian disasters in memory.
“A year on from the devastation and communities are still reeling. More than ever, Syrians need healthcare, housing, and support to ensure their long-term resilience.
“Following last year’s earthquake, over 12 million people in Syria are in desperate need of medical assistance. The funds from Tariq’s generous donation will go towards providing life-saving medical support to thousands of families in Northwest Syria.”
