October 7, 2013
Aga Khan University Alumni
Dear Alumni,
Last week Kenya was enveloped in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attack that left more than 70 people dead, several hundred injured and many others missing. You may be interested to learn that the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi played a significant role in helping the victims of this calamity.
Following the attack, there was a massive influx of patients, families, well-wishers and VIPs to the Aga Khan University Hospital. Our staff and volunteers responded with competence, compassion and commitment to the crisis by treating almost half of the total casualties from the incident.
In such situations, in the midst of horror and loss, hope and generosity are the only things we can offer. The area near the University Hospital’s Heart and Cancer Centre was set up as a Blood Donation Unit, with the assistance of the Kenyan Red Cross. We received almost 1,000 registered donors in two days giving us an adequate supply to treat the injured. This display of magnanimity and care for one another was heartwarming and a strong counterweight to the senseless killings.
The political, social and religious leaders who visited the University Hospital were complimentary about the quality of care we provided because of the competence of our professionals, the latest equipment and our high standards due to the recent international accreditation we received from the Joint Commission in the USA.
I am pleased to inform you that there were no staff members from AKU who were injured in the disaster, for which we are very grateful. We are also deeply appreciative of our many volunteers, friends and alumni who provided their support or kept us in their prayers.
We are proud that our University was able to be a key part of the recovery process from this horrendous incident.
With my best regards,
Firoz Rasul
President
