Programme areas
Emergency Preparedness and Humanitarian Action
3 August, 2010
The worst floods on record in Pakistan are
placing the health of hundreds of thousands of
people at risk, with a high threat of water-borne
disease outbreaks and immense damage to health
facilities. The World Health Organization (WHO)
is coordinating the response of health partners and
supporting Pakistani authorities by sending
medicines and related health supplies capable of
treating more than 200,000 people to the affected
areas in the northwestern region of the country.
The world is experiencing devastating effects of natural calamities, which cause loss or paralyze human life, and pose perpetual threats. Pakistan is a country of diverse topography, which has experienced several disasters such as floods, droughts, epidemics, earthquakes, and civil strife.
The frequency of road traffic accidents and industrial disasters is also increasing. The massive earthquake that struck Pakistan on 8 October 2005 destroyed 85% of the total infrastructure, killing 73,000, injuring at least 150,000 persons and leaving an estimated 3.2 million people homeless, served as a wake-up call for beefing up our emergency preparedness mechanisms. The health relief response to the earthquake gained worldwide recognition for its operational success and efficiency.
The security issues in the country’s North West Frontier Province and FATA between mid 2008 and end of April 2009 has prompted a massive humanitarian crisis with at least nearly three million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) fled their homes and started living in camps and with local community in different districts of NWFP.
The Health Sector under the leadership of WHO has made remarkable interventions since the start of the crisis in NWFP. With the outstanding efforts and strong commitment of 40 health cluster partners, interventions were firmed up inside IDP camps, in host communities and in returnees’ districts. Health interventions include provision of life-saving drugs to health facilities and mobile clinics operated by partners, environmental health activities, resource mobilization, maternal, neonatal and child health, disability and rehabilitation, and disease surveillance.
Programme areas:
See also National Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
See also The post conflict emergency health response intervention in NWFP and FATA humanitarian crisis