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Pakistan lauds UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA work
ISLAMABAD Nov 17 : The International donor agencies and governments have played a vital role in the rehabilitation and relief effort in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.
This was stated by the Federal Health Minister, Mohammed Nasir Khan while chairing a meeting of the Islamabad based representatives of different international donor organizations here yesterday.
The Minister lauded the work done by the organizations like the UNICEF, WHO UNFPA, and a host of other organizations in a ding the government towards providing medical relief to the affectees.
The meeting was convened by the Ministry of Health to develop and share consensus on the presentation to be made in the upcoming donor conference regarding the health sector.
The meeting agreed that challenges faced by the health sector are immense in view of the severe cold in the coming months, difficult terrain and inaccessible populations and a coordinated effort and huge resources are required to rebuild infrastructure destroyed in the tragedy.
The UNFPA representative stressed the need for focusing on the health needs of women and children as they have been worst hit by the calamity. It was pointed out that 60 to 70 percent of the affectees are women ad children.
The meeting viewed that the health sector faces the colossal task of physical and psychological rehabilitation of the affectees a task that requires immense resources and would be highlighted in the donors’ conference. The Basic Health Units and Rural Health Centres stand partially or completely demolished in the affected areas whereas the surveillance and referral system was seriously affected as a result of the calamity.
The Federal Health Minister and the Secretaries Health of AJK and NWFP were of the consensus that the reconstruction of the Health facilities should be well planned and rationalized. The Secretary Health NWFP informed that only Basic Health Units catering to at least 50 patients a day would be reconstructed.
The Federal Health Minister said the amputees and those disabled in the tragedy would be re-integrated back into the society and this aspect has been clearly reflected in the presentation to be made to the donors. The Minister said such individuals should not be marginalized and be returned to the mainstream.
Earlier coming a meeting of the Disaster Management committee the Minister for Health was informed that all TB centres destroyed in the calamity have been revived and services are being provided to the TB patients.