A Johannesburg-based NGO has taken the initiative to lend crucial medical equipment at no charge. Nearly three years since the project’s inception, the Fordsburg Muslim Youth Organisation (FMYO)’s Medical Supplies Division has gained a reputation for its arsenal of equipment, lent at no charge to those in need.
Founded in 1959, FMYO has been known for its humanitarian and welfare undertakings. However, the medical supplies division is a recent initiative that was prompted by the high costs of obtaining critical medical equipment.
“We have a social welfare division in addition to the burials. Often, we go to do our distributions and a lot of the destitute people have problems getting wheelchairs and walkers. All of this equipment is quite expensive so we found a gap that wasn’t being serviced to people,” said Asima Moosa from FMYO.
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Covid-19 pandemic
Moosa stated the Covid-19 pandemic created a demand for oxygen concentrators. Despite having been launched just several months prior, FMYO was well-suited to provide medical equipment at no charge.
“We launched the Medical Supplies Division in 2019 and we started out with just commodes, walkers and wheelchairs. When the Covid-199 pandemic hit, we saw the need for oxygen concentrators,” she said.
She said FMYO was ready to alleviate the pressure off of medical facilities in urgent need of oxygen concentrators during the peak of the Third Wave, which hit Gauteng hardest, in mid-2021.
“During the peaks, FMYO in Gauteng was probably the largest hold of oxygen concentrators. We became so popular with the medical fraternity that we would get calls on a daily basis because all the medical aids ran out of equipment.”
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Non-discrimination
According to Moosa, the organisation strives to provide medical equipment at no charge in a non-discriminatory manner. However, she said, this comes at a cost. She said FMYO offered its equipment to any eligible patient, regardless of race and religion.
“The demand has increased and we aren’t discriminative in the sense that this doesn’t go only to Muslims because we feel that this is a small amount of da’wah that we provide to the community as well. If you came to us and needed it, as long as our doctors validated your issue, we gave you a machine.
She said this was done with the intention of rectifying Islamophobia. “There’s always been this perception that we’re terrorists [but] I think it created positivity about Muslims,” she said.
Moosa stated that FMYO was in need of financial support to be able to continue offering medical equipment at no charge. She added that volunteers were also welcome to participate in the organisation’s various humanitarian projects.
