Karachi: Sindh Minister for Health and Population Welfare Dr.Azra Fazal Pechuho held an online meeting at EOC with Rie Hiraoka Director Social Sectors, Central and West Asia Region, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Hayman Win senior Health Specialist ADB and Omer Bin Zia senior Project Officer Social Sectors ADB Pakistan Resident Mission. Meeting was also attended by Secretary Health Zulfiqar Shah, Parliamentary Secretary Health Qasim Siraj Soomro and Special Secretary Nawaz Soho.

Meeting discussed best post flood response that can be addressed with support of Asian Development Bank. Challenge is that after floods people are still displaced, even though most have returned but still do not have housing as much of private and commercial infrastructure has been destroyed due to floods.

Dr. Azra informed meeting that in total there are about 1,100 hospitals that have been damaged partially or fully. She stressed most importantly that children did not have enough facilities to be treated in after floods. It should be priority to immediately strengthen paediatric wards in province so that in future, in case of emergencies, our children can get treatment they need.

Ob/gyn and pediatric wards need to be upgraded and there is Korean funded children’s hospital in Sukkur which will be functional beginning of next year.

Dr. Azra referred to high numbers seen for Dengue, malaria and malnutrition this year due to floods and said that Health Department will be sending ADB district plan for places that do not have separate children’s hospitals to equip them adequately. Province is short of nursing cadre. We have huge influx of patients, especially women and children, we need this human resource and also to train them to handle such emergencies.

She discussed wheat crop not being sufficient to feed population that is most dependent on it and as result malnutrition will increase exponentially.

She said that there needs to be programme that addresses issues of clean water especially in Sindh’s hospitals. RO plants are in need.

Dr. Azra said that Sindh Health Department treated over 5 million IDPs and provided them with health services, though there may have been areas and pockets that were missed out and data that was under-reported.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 13 2022

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