Salma Khatoon Hospital examines more than 3,500 patients monthly. The hospital also offers free eye camps twice a year in collaboration with Al-Ehsan Welfare Eye Hospital. The eye camp consists of the latest equipment for a complete eye check-up, provides free glasses and performs free surgeries when needed. This year the team distributed more than 1,600 prescribed eyeglasses and performed over 250 successful eye surgeries.
We would like to thank the board and team of Al-Ehsan Welfare Eye Hospital Lahore for their generosity. Facilitating proficient eye care wouldn’t have been possible without their support. We plan to establish a permanent eye clinic at the hospital soon. Insha’Allah.
As the patient load grew, so did the programs offered by the hospital, which now focuses on key public health education measures, providing education about food and water safety, and proper procedures for prescription medicine intake. The hospital has seen a marked decrease in recurring patient visits by focusing on measures for health promotion and disease prevention. The hospital maintains clean water facilities on site which are enjoyed by the community, we hope to expand this in the region Insha’Allah.
Salma Khatoon Farid was born in 1947 near Jalandhar, India to Ghulam Muhumed and Abida Bibi. That same year, after the partition of India and Pakistan, her family relocated to 137/9L in Sahiwal. She lost her father at an early age and was raised by her mother Abida in 137/9L. She married Ghulam Farid in 1968 and moved to her new home in 86/6R at the same site as the hospital. As luck would have it, Ghulam Farid was encouraged by the older brother, Chaudhary Ramazan, to relocate to the United States. Chaudhary Ramazan knew that the U.S. would offer a better opportunity for his brother and family. He not only sponsored but also supported the family upon their relocation to the U.S in 1981. Generosity has always been a hallmark of the whole family starting with Haji Amir Ud Din, the family Patriarch, and father of Chaudhary Ramazan and Ghulam Farid. Salma lived in this environment of generosity with her mother, Abida Bibi, who gave even with her litter means. She carried this inspiration to her new home in America and instilled the same in all her children.
Salma & Ghulam Farid played a key role in the success of their sons and served as the inspiration behind their business aspirations. They encouraged them to work hard and persevere from an early age. Salma worked at the flower shop her son Tariq Farid opened in 1986 (at the age of 17) and continued working there till the 1990s. Salma also provided the initial loan permitting Tariq to purchase the building where the first Edible Arrangements headquarters and store was opened in 1999. She refused the repayment of her loan, instead, she instructed Tariq to build something worthwhile in her memory.
As fate dictated, Salma passed away in 2005 while visiting her family in Pakistan. She was buried in 86/6R Sahiwal, where she is still remembered for her great generosity. Her family decided to honor her philanthropic ways by building a hospital providing free medical care for the underprivileged.
“Directed by Salma Khatoon Farid and inspired by the family, our objective is to serve the community we lived in. Sahiwal is and will always be our second home. ALLAH (SWT) has favored us with countless blessings and to translate these blessings into gratitude, we made a commitment to make this world a better place to live for everyone around us. This is what we have been taught and must teach to our next generation.”