KESC Launches Unique "Empowerment Program" to Pay Electricity Bills of Social Welfare Institutions
Ever since the present management has taken over, we have seen our role as going much beyond that of just supplying electricity to over 20 million people of Karachi and we have consciously developed a 360 degree value creation model that guides us in defining our role in much broader terms. We firmly believe that KESC's own turnaround and sustainability is fundamentally linked to the economic, social and environmental values that we create for a diverse set of stakeholders whom we serve and engage on a daily basis.
We call this model KESC’s SEEDS – that is, KESC’s Stakeholder Engagement and Enrichment Drive for Sustainability.
SEEDS is a holistic approach that fully recognizes the impact of our performance in sustainable development across our stakeholders’ universe. SEEDS essentially drives four distinct programs and these are – ESG Initiatives, Social Investments, Stakeholder Engagement and Thought Leadership. Our social investment program, aims at investing our resources, including time, into sustainable projects that can change the social and economic landscape of our city. Under our uniquely developed model, we are committed to expand the empowerment program to ensure that public welfare institutions are enabled and empowered to create even higher value for communities that they serve. A large number of purely welfare-driven institutions in health and education sectors were given relief in billing and infrastructure development projects. During the last couple of years, our employees have invested around 150,000 hours into various social causes under the Employee Volunteer Program. We would continue to build on this legacy of selfless service. At KESC, we look at how these interconnected communities can be harnessed to have direct sustainable economic and social impacts beyond just one-dimensional financial and shareholder value.
As part of its Social Investment Program (SIP), Karachi Electric Supply Company, has launched a unique “Empowerment Program” to provide relief to social welfare organizations in health and education sectors. To qualify for the empowerment, it would need to be a charitable organization operating in the public welfare domain in the health or education sector located and operative within the limits of KESC distribution territory. It must be an independently registered NGO (non-governmental organization) with declared Articles and Memorandum of Association, whose accessibility of operations must be open to general public without any specific community focus or restriction. The qualifying entity must be providing at least 70 per cent of its services to deserving individuals free of cost or at minimal charges acceptable to KESC. In general, the entity must be a non-profit institution, totally non-political and non-government institution, and not associated or linked to any business house. Magnitude of operations of such entity would need to be relatively large, having direct annual impact on minimum of 5,000 individuals belonging to underprivileged segments of the society. Such institutions would generally enjoy good reputation among public and their credibility would be beyond any doubt.
Under this program, KESC signed the first memorandum of understanding with Indus Hospital recently. Under the program KESC would bear 50% of Indus Hospital’s cost of electricity every month.
Indus Hospital provides quality medical care in its wide ranging clinical departments and also provides post graduate medical education to deserving persons free of cost. The services provided by Indus Hospital include hi tech coronary angioplasties, life saving cardiac bypass surgeries, cutting edge laser interventions or restorative orthopaedic procedures. Indus hospital serves around 550,000 patients annually free of charge.
Mr. Tabish Gauhar, CEO of KESC, said on the occasion that: “KESC has always considered itself an integral part of life in Karachi and we have always tried to go beyond our core function and act as a responsible corporate citizen. We are driven by our philosophy to create sustainable social value for the less fortunate segments of our society. Empowerment Program for charitable institutions is just another humble effort to contribute towards the betterment of public life. By supporting and enabling active social welfare institution we are creating value driven partnerships aimed at social sustainability of underprivileged communities. We fully acknowledge the great work being done by the Indus Hospital and we are delighted to be able to extend our small contribution through our Empowerment Program.”
According to the memorandum signed by Tabish Gauhar, CEO KESC and Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, CEO of The Indus Hospital, KESC would provide 50% free units of electricity to be consumed by Indus Hospital every month.
Under this social welfare arrangement, KESC would be paying 100 per cent of the electricity bill of MALC every month, which provides free medical aid to a large number of leprosy, eye and TB patients all across the country including Karachi. By the end of the past year, MALC had treated over 800 leprosy patients; had operated upon 4,575 eye patients; and had registered over 10,000 TB patients. Cure rate of leprosy patients by MALC is recorded as 97 per cent.Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, CEO of Indus Hospital, said in his remarks: “This step taken by KESC allows us to save money spent on utilities and spend on the poor and needy patients. It has a direct impact on our ability to deliver quality health care. As we expand our Hospital infrastructure and move towards a University model in the coming years, we hope to develop a long term relationship with KESC. The Indus Hospital thanks the KESC Leadership for such an empowering initiative".
The second memorandum of understanding was signed with Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre, aimed at providing relief to social welfare organizations in health and education sectors. Under KESC’s Social Investment program, the Company would be extending relief to various healthcare and educational institutions serving the poor on purely humanitarian grounds. KESC would pay electricity bills of these welfare entities in part or in full, thereby subsidizing their energy cost in recognition of the noble causes these institutions are pursuing.
The memorandum was signed by Tabish Gauhar, CEO KESC and Dr. Ruth Pfau, founder member and Vice President, Board of Governors, Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre.
Mr. Tabish Gauhar said on this occasion, “KESC feels very blessed over providing a humble contribution towards the betterment of patients receiving free medical care at MALC. We pray for their early recovery and hope that God gives us enough resources to continue helping the needy and deserving. MALC is serving the less privileged patients of the society for over half century free of charge and we fully appreciate its services to humanity.”
Dr. Ruth Pfau of MALC said in her message, “MALC is extremely thankful to KESC and highly appreciates its contribution for the un-served communities in the country. It would not have been possible for us to sustain the Leprosy Centre without the help of benevolent organisations like KESC. There is surely a great need for such initiatives for the NGO sector that is providing valuable support to the underprivileged in society. The savings generated through subsidized electricity from KESC would help us in better serving the patients and providing them better medicines to live in a society where they are usually treated as outcasts.”
Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre is one of the largest NGO in the country running Leprosy Elimination, TB and Blindness Control Program with its headquarters in Karachi, serving as a secondary referral facility for Leprosy patients from all over Pakistan who are treated free of charge. Dr. Ruth Pfau had joined the small setup of MALC back in 1960 as a young lady doctor from Germany who gradually developed it into the National Leprosy Control Program providing comprehensive care and rehabilitation facilities to patients at 157 sub centres spread across the country.
KESC Management
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