PESHAWAR: Most of the Afghan refugees returning to their country suffer from stress and mental trauma, according to doctors at the health camp set up by government in Landi Kotal tehsil of Khyber tribal district.

“About 30 to 40 per cent patients suffer from psychiatric diseases. We have examined more than 500 refugees during the last two days. They include 40 per cent women as many men and 20 per cent children,” Dr Hamaad Gul Mohmand, head of the medical facility at the camp set up for repatriation of Afghan refugees, told Dawn.

According to him, the patients also visit the camp with complaints of loose motions, vomiting, hypertension and syncope attack due to stress and fatigue besides fever, cold and flu in addition to cases of physical abuse emergencies and all are treated as per protocol.

The camp set up near Hamza Baba Mazaar, equipped with all emergency services and staff, is backed by staff and ambulances of Rescue 1122 to shift patients to the nearby district headquarters hospital in case they require admission or further management.

More than 500 patients examined in two days at Torkham camp

Security services are also in place as personnel of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), district administration, police, emergency response unit and Frontier Corps have been deployed at the camp by government.

Click to see more

Dr Hamaad said that they had all essential medicines for first-aid and emergency services such oral and intravenous drugs.

One doctor, a male and a female nurse and three paramedics provide healthcare services to all the people visiting the camp for medical checkup prior to travelling to Torkham border from where they go to their native country.

“Critical patients are resuscitated here by qualified health professionals. Around 50 emergencies have been referred to district headquarters hospital Landi Kotal till now,” he said.

Dr Hamaad said that the camp was established on the directives of health secretary and it was operating under the supervision of Khyber district health officer. It will continue to operate as long as the repatriation process remains in progress.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department may increase staff and medical supplies in case the burden of patients is increased. The government has been providing medical services to Afghan refugees on humanitarian grounds to enable them to travel in better health and stay safe from diseases,” he said.

Dr Hamaad said that the arrival of patients from Afghanistan for specialised treatment to hospitals in Pakistan also continued. As the deadline for repatriation set by government has passed, the number of returnees may increase. Many of them have developed mental issues.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Mian Iftikhar Hussain told Dawn that many of the Afghan refugees returning to their country suffered from stress and mental trauma.

“The new Afghan generation is born in Pakistan. They consider Pakistan as their own and country of origin. Afghanistan is a foreign country for them,” he said.

He said that many young girls, who were born in Pakistan and got married to their cousins in Afghanistan, developed different psychological and psychiatric problems due to difficulties in adopting in a new country, Afghanistan.

Dr Iftikhar said that such girls were brought to health facilities with anxiety disorder, depression and dissociative disorders while their parents were settled in Pakistan. They were suffering from separation anxiety disorder from their parents, he said.

“Immigration itself is a big psychological trauma. Fear and phobia of future in a new country, adaptation in new environment and coping with different types of stressors are big challenges,” he said.

He said that starting life from scratch was another big stressor. He said that financial constraints and adverse living conditions were also very challenging.

“Cultural differences and restrictions of Afghanistan society are also other problems for adjustment there,” said Dr Iftikhar.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2023