Huge MSF response to Pakistan floods
MORE than 70% percent of Pakistan has been flooded, causing widespread destruction, leaving over 1 000 people dead, over 1 500 injured, more than one million houses destroyed or damaged, and at least 33 million people affected.
This after the country experienced twice its usual monsoon rainfall while Balochistan and Sindh provinces had seen more than four times the average of the last three decades.
In Balochistan, 31 districts out of 33 have been severely affected. Areas around Dera Murad Jamali (DMJ) have experienced significant flooding over the last two weeks.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams, including staff who have had their own homes flooded, responded quickly to provide primary healthcare to people congregating on the roads and in schools.
Many people who have lost their homes have set up makeshift shelters along or near the roadways.
MSF said they were responding and assessing the humanitarian crisis across all four provinces of Pakistan – Balochistan, Sind, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They have started mobile clinics in DMJ, providing primary healthcare and health promotion activities and referrals to the MSF-supported District Headquarters hospital, DMJ.
Most of the patients treated have presented with respiratory infections, fever, skin diseases and diarrhoea.
“Mostly, we are seeing patients with complaints of fever, malaria, acute watery diarrhoea and skin infections due to unhygienic conditions,” said MSF Doctor Ruby Tariq in Pakistan.
MSF mobile clinics are running daily.
“We have visited three locations around DMJ and providing non- food items (NFIs), including soaps, buckets, cooking utensils, and mosquito nets), and set up water points to provide drinking water. Our teams are also screening for malnutrition and have seen children from our Ambulatory Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ATFC) activities in the mobile clinics,” MSF said.
So far, the volume of patients has not been huge, especially in the first couple of days, but this is likely due
to access issues, with many towns and villages cut off by the floodwater.
“We also have projects in Quetta and Chaman, closer to the border with Afghanistan. The team has set up emergency water distribution points in Quetta city and donated approximately 300 non-food item kits,” MSF said.
In Chaman, the team has begun fixing damaged water pipes, distributing NFIs and starting a mobile clinic.
They are also assessing the needs in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts of Punjab province and Charsadda and Nowshehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
“An urgent scale-up of the response is needed from humanitarian groups and others, based on the estimated numbers of people affected. Access to clean water and shelter are the most pressing needs.
“With the rain expected to continue over the monsoon season, longterm steps must be taken to safeguard the communities who are now displaced and languishing in areas that remain prone to further flooding,” MSF said.
With roads and access points completely flooded, food and other supplies are dwindling.
MSF said there is a dire need for adequate water and sanitation to prevent the widespread outbreak of disease. An increase of vector-borne diseases, such as dengue and malaria, are expected.
“Our teams are currently assessing the needs and are preparing accordingly,” MSF said.
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