Participants at the workshop A planning workshop on provincial health preparedness and the response mechanism for the monsoon and internally displaced persons (IDP) situation was jointly organized by WHO and the Department of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from 3 to 5 May, 2012 in Peshawar, Pakistan.
The purpose of the workshop was to support the Department of Health and Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to develop a strategy for monsoon contingency planning and response to the IDP crisis.
The specific objectives of the workshop were to:
provide an overview of monsoon contingency planning in high risk districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
analyse the existing strengths and weakness of each district regarding monsoon preparedness
provide an overview of the IDP crisis following military operations in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and a health department response needs analysis
identify the activities, resources and procedures needed to develop monsoon contingency plan and IDP response
develop coordination between the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HEPR), National Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (NHEPR), PDMA and WHO.
In Pakistan, the monsoon flooding recurs almost yearly. The ongoing structural poverty experienced by many communities, as well as incomplete recovery from 2010 and 2011 monsoon flooding, creates even greater vulnerability for future flooding. Even moderate flooding could have devastating effects on some communities.
The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa experienced the worst flooding in a century. Monsoon contingency planning is therefore of the utmost importance and is performed yearly with the support of development partners and stakeholders.
In 2012, the Department of Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, requested WHO to provide technical support for developing a monsoon contingency plan and a response to the IDP crises, as well as a mechanism of coordination between DDMA, HEPR, NHEPR, PDMA and WHO.