'˜Just a pound could help to save a life'

The £1 Hospital Charity held its official UK launch event at Portsmouth’s Guildhall over the weekend.

The cause aims to support millions of impoverished families in Bangladesh in urgent need of the most basic medical care – help which many simply cannot afford.

It is urging kindhearted people to donate £1 a month, which will fund a weekly clinic overseas, that could help save thousands of people.

Dr Mohammed Sanur Ali is the chairman of the new charity and a leading allergy specialist.

He said countless people in Bangladesh were needlessly dying because they couldn’t afford basic medicine to combat allergic reactions or relatively simple conditions like asthma.

He said: ‘About 52m people live below the national poverty line in Bangladesh – that’s about 31.5 per cent of the population living on less than $2 a day.

‘People just cannot afford a junior doctor consultation or even a course of life-saving antibiotics.

‘By just giving one pound a month, you really can help to save lives.’

The charity is being backed by Portsmouth Lord Mayor David Fuller.

He said: ‘This is a brilliant idea and one which many can afford. A cup of coffee or tea costs more than £1.’

The first phase is to open a weekly, Friday clinic, which will cost about £200. However, the goal is to raise £10m to build a functional hospital.

To help, text HOSP38 and the amount you wish to donate to 70070.

For more details, see www.onepoundhospital.org.uk