Saturday, July 04, 2009

PAKISTAN: An "Impending Humanitarian Disaster"

(Cross-posted from SAJAforum)

PK - CampsThat's what Audil Rashid and Mian Nazish Adnan sound the alarm about in the July 4, 2009 issue of the British medical journal The Lancet, following their recent visits to camps set up to house internally displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing the conflict zone in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province. While Americans celebrate the Independence Day weekend with barbeques and fireworks, Rashid and Adnan paint a grim picture of the crisis in Pakistan:

From the very beginning it was evident that the government had underestimated the human cost of the military operation. As several camps were hastily set up to cater to the massive influx of IDPs, reports about the lack of even basic amenities in these camps began to emerge. Excessive heat (daytime temperatures soaring to 40°C and above), no electricity, food and water shortages, poor sanitation, and lack of proper health care are some of the immediate problems being faced by IDPs....

Lack of proper toilets and sanitation, unsafe drinking water, infrequent bathing, high air temperatures, inadequate disposal of solid waste, and the complete absence of a proper drainage system at the refugee camps are the main causes of worry for relief health workers. “This is the making of a disaster. These camps have been established on open tracts of land used for agricultural purposes. There are snakes, rats, and scorpions here. At night, when it is pitch dark because of no electricity, people sleep on the ground and are vulnerable to snakebites”, said M Idrees Mirza, a doctor who runs a private clinic in Rawalpindi city and is working voluntarily in the camps.

PK Camps - Map“Conditions in these camps make them perfect breeding areas for mosquitoes and many varieties of insects. In my opinion, there is a very high probability of an outbreak of any disease like mumps, measles, scabies, malaria, diarrhoea, polio, and leishmaniasis”, said another health worker working for a respected NGO who spoke to The Lancet on condition of anonymity. “We need medicines, doctors, and qualified health workers. And we need them urgently. Any delays might result in a human catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.”....

Eager to establish its writ over the Swat Valley, the government seems to have created a health crisis which it may not be able to overcome. [link; registration req'd]

Two letters in the same issue of The Lancet offer additional details. But as dire as the situation has become within the camps, K.M. Bile and Assad Hafeez note in one of those letters that the government camps house only 20 percent of the IDPs -- who may now total as many as 2.5 million individuals, almost half of them children:

Without counting the great costs to themselves, families in the local community are looking after more than 1·73 million people, in accordance with the local tradition of hospitality. Most displaced people have been accommodated within family homes; others are in schools, mosques, and other community buildings.... Although a proportion of host families are related to or friends of the displaced people, many have welcomed strangers. [link; registration req'd]

Continue reading at SAJAforum....

Posted by Anil Kalhan

10 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:17 AM

    專業的酒店經紀公司我們提供許多工作如酒店上班可以幫您賺錢酒店打工讓您解決錢的問題酒店兼差也可以讓您快速累積財富暑假打工的工作機會也非常的多寒假打工的機會可以事先詢問喔

    我們是專業的酒店經紀公司且我們也有自營的酒店水水想來酒店上班或是美美想來酒店打工或者是只是想要短期的酒店兼差都是可以安排的暑假到了暑假打工現在正的熱門的工作寒假打工雖然還沒到但是也可以事先預約工作,歡迎來電洽詢



    韓國人由於亞歷安人種臉型較為四方於是整形業在當地非常的發達舉凡像雷射溶脂的技術就蠻進步的僅次於全世界最強的台灣而以整形和他們的娛樂業有著密不可分的關系像一些著加的明星都吃酵素在保養身體以達到良好的水準黃金價格不斷的上揚可能快破100美元每兩了

    ReplyDelete
  2. On the other hand,Harley boots ed hardy clothes often is the usual lift-up model with a face Christian audigier shield.One luxury full-faced Harley helmet to look for ed hardy shoes can be the GP Tech Metal Warrior. This Kevlar ed hardy outlet made helmet comes standard considering the ultimate Integrated Ventilation to ed hardy Bikini provide you with oxygen in your ride. And, techniques about fogging ed hardy hats in the shield together with the outdoors, the ed hardy swimsuits helmet will be fog proof. The optimim finish on the helmet guarantees ed hardy clothing no scratches, either. However, ed hardy glasses this amazing ed hardy Jackets tool industry around and may just break your bank! If ed hardyprice is an object, devote all across $70.00 and share with the ed hardy iphone cases conventional stock half helmet. That should as ed hardy dresses a minimum produce a number protection an individual's Harley davidson lower.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 您好 與您一起分享有關於黃金回收的
    台北專業黃金回收價格
    如有任何黃金回收請找台北專業黃金回收宏鑫貴金屬
    謝謝

    因為有朋友剛好有推出嬰兒的護膚衣
    夏天很適合寶寶穿喔!對孩子的皮膚也有更好的保護
    對有這樣困擾的baby有很大的幫助喔^^ 可以給你參考看看ㄉ^^
    這種的護膚衣是天然竹炭材質
    具有吸濕、排汗、抗菌的效果
    現在天氣這麼熱,對小朋友應該是不錯的選擇
    嬰兒天然竹炭護膚衣寶寶專用 (點進去看看喔)
    穿起來很舒適喔
    可以看看網站上的影片
    寶寶異位性皮膚炎常識 (點進去看看喔)
    是朋友哥哥的小孩穿的喔^^
    也有關於嬰兒的一些資訊可以提供你參考喔
    懷孕媽媽的育兒知識 (點進去看看喔)

    ReplyDelete
  4. amazing submit... may help me a whole lot,it is precisely what I used to be searching for! Cheers.


    Buy RS Gold
    Buy Cheap RS Gold

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.