PESHAWAR: The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has called for immediate assistance to the flood-hit people to safeguard them against water and food-borne ailments as the health department has set up Flood Emergency Control Room to monitor the healthcare situation of affected population round the clock.

The control room at Directorate General Health Services will ensure active surveillance and robust response to all kinds of health related emergencies and cope with challenges triggered by incessant flood in the province.

Officials told this scribe health department had so far received more than 104,543 patients from 110 camps in 19 districts. They said that most of the flood survivors suffered from diarrhoea, skin diseases and acute respiratory infections.

They said that the department would receive emergency kits from World Health Organisation and Unicef as part of cooperation to prevent the occurrence of hygiene-related diseases among the displaced people. “We have appealed to the United Nations and other partner organisations for more assistance to deal with the imminent outbreaks of diseases among flood victims,” they said.

Health dept sets up control room to monitor situation round the clock

Abdullah Fadil, the representative of Unicef in Pakistan, told journalists that the affected communities needed to be immediately supported with shelter, medicines, nutrition, food, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities.

During a visit to a camp, housing victims of the recent flood on Manki Road in Nowshera district, on Wednesday, he urged the authorities to expedite efforts to provide emergency medical relief to the displaced people.

The Unicef representative said that people were vulnerable to host of ailments in the aftermath of the flood and required prompt assistance to ensure that they stayed away from getting more health issues in those trying times.

Unicef provided more than 1,500 hygiene kits to the members of the affected communities, especially women and children. These kits would benefit more than 9,000 people affected by flood in the district. The kits given to the flood-hit people included jerry cans, buckets, bathing and washing soaps and other items related to personal hygiene.

Mr Fadil said that the resilience shown by the people of Nowshera during the time of crises was highly commendable as they patiently waited to receive assistance.

He said that in response to the major calamity that affected at least 33 million people and caused serious damage to infrastructure including homes and standing crops across the country, a herculean effort was needed by the government and its development partners for urgent medical needs of people and subsequent rehabilitation.

He said that Unicef was in the field and collaborating with the government authorities to provide immediate assistance in terms of health, nutrition, clean drinking water and sanitation to people to put brakes on outbreaks of diseases.

“Our organisation is soon beginning a programme to ensure provision of safe drinking water through tankers to people affected by incessant spells of monsoon rains,” said Mr Fadil.

The government of Pakistan and the UN have launched a flash appeal for $160 million to provide 5.2 million people with food, water, sanitation services, emergency education, protection and health support. “The share of Unicef in the flash appeal is $37 million,” he said.

Earlier, the UN official met Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Shahram Khan Tarakai and Chief Secretary Dr Shahzad Khan Bangash and discussed matters pertaining to health, education, polio, water and sanitation with them.

Later, he also met officials at Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication and Essential Immunisation in addition to another meeting where he reviewed the Unicef projects including, water sanitation and hygiene for Afghan refugees and host communities.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2022