ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services has sent a team of 12 doctors of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) to Balochistan’s Lasbela district to provide medical treatment to flood victims.

Talking to Dawn, the ministry’s spokesperson Sajid Shah said that the team will hold free medical camps in Uthal’s District Headquarters Hospital and Lakhra’s Rural Health Center.

“There are general physicians, general surgeons, neurosurgeons, orthopaedic surgeons and other experts in the team,” he said, adding that free medicine would also be provided to the patients.

In a statement, federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said that another consignment of medicines would be sent to Balochistan after Ashura.

“We will continue the support for our brothers in Balochistan and use all possible resources to provide them with relief,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), has expanded its rescue and relief operations in Balochistan and other parts of the country under the Disaster Response and Emergency Fund (DREF).

The PRCS is carrying out relief activities in flood-hit areas of Balochistan. In addition to cash assistance, clean drinking water and hygiene kits will be distributed among the flood victims.

A high-level meeting at the PRCS headquarters took several decisions for relief and rehabilitation in the flo­od-affected areas of Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

PRCS Chairman Abrarul Haq said the Society was devoted to help people who were affected by heavy rainfall and floods.

He added that PRCS had deployed mobile health teams with doctors, paramedics and free medicine in Tank, Jhal Magsi and Jafferabad districts to provide health services to flood-affected population.

Water treatment plants would be installed in Karak, Tank, Jhal Magsi and Jaffarabad in the coming days and each plant would have the capacity to generate 30,000 litres of clean and safe drinking water per day, said Mr Haq.

He said hygiene kits, jerry cans and dengue kits would be distributed to 900 households while relief materials would also be distributed to the victims in Muzaffargarh with the support of Turk Red Crescent in the affected areas.

“A cash grant of Rs16,000 per household will also be given to 1,400 households to cover their basic needs,” he said.

He said the PRCS was in contact with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners and more relief packages and livelihood assistances will be provided under the second allocation of DREF to support families affected by floods in different parts of the country.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2022