May 28, 2009

ISLAMABAD – Humanitarian agency Church World Service has begun taking medical care to people displaced by fighting between the Pakistan military and Taliban insurgents in the country's Northwest Frontier Province.

The agency's basic services to people displaced in Mansehra and Abbottabad include treatment for common diseases, identification of pregnant women and providing free medicines. As of this week, the mobile health unit deployed by Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan has treated 350 people, mostly for diarrhea, skin diseases and respiratory tract infections.

Church World has provided health services to the Afghan refugee population in the affected areas for 30 years, and this long presence has enabled the agency to quickly mobilize a mobile health unit to serve Pakistanis who have been displaced, sometimes referred to as internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Because they are living in extremely hot, mosquito-infested and overcrowded conditions in camps and in host communities, the IDPs are susceptible to a possible widespread outbreak of malaria or other infections. While these diseases are treatable, an outbreak could overwhelm existing health services and facilities and lead to unnecessary deaths.

Pregnant women who traveled long distances without sufficient food and water are at high risk in the camps and host communities. Although the mobile unit cannot provide natal care, the team is providing iron supplements and information regarding local hospitals to pregnant women.

CWS now is planning to expand its services to include immunizations since many children's regular immunization schedules, including for polio, have been disrupted by the displacement.

The mobile unit currently operates with the capacity to see approximately 50 displaced persons per day; however, expanded services are necessary for the growing population of displaced persons. In the longer term, CWS Pakistan/Afghanistan plans to include comprehensive health care and expand its service area to Swabi.

CWS P/A meeting nutritional needs of IDPs To assure that families become less susceptible to malnutrition or related illnesses, CWS-P/A is providing family food packages that adhere to "Sphere standards," which assure the type, quality and quantity of food assistance provided.

The food package contents are based upon the average need of 2,100 calories per person per day for a period of thirty days and include health basics such as iodized salt. CWS has made careful preparation of culturally relevant food items. The use of quality local items and consideration of average family sizes is a cornerstone of CWS-P/A emergency response in Pakistan.

By targeting the most vulnerable IDPs, such as female-headed households, CWS-P/A also is helping to equip families who otherwise would be more susceptible to ailments caused by any one of the aforementioned health risk factors.

Even with the relief afforded by the mobile health clinic, there still is a need for well-equipped and well-staffed health facilities able to serve all the displaced people – especially mothers and children – who need medicine and care.

Contributions to support Church World Service emergency response and recovery efforts may be made online at http://www.churchworldservice.org/donate, by phone (800.297.1516), or sent to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515.

Church World Service works with partners to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice around the world. It is a member of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, a global alliance of churches and related agencies work ing to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.

Church World Service