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Pregnant women wait to see a
doctor in an IDP camp. There are about 6,000 pregnant women who are displaced
as a result of clashes between the |
KARACHI, 24 May 2009 (IRIN) - Some
4,375 internally displaced women in northwest Pakistan are due to give birth in
June with very few trained medics available and meagre facilities, according to
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). They are among about 6,000 pregnant
women who are displaced as a result of clashes between the Pakistan security
forces and Taliban militants in the northwestern Swat region.
“But there is no plan for these women,” said Dr Mohammad
Ali, a Mardan District programme officer who is supervising UNFPA’s emergency
services.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said some 1.7 million
people had fled the conflict areas of Buner, Dir and Swat, in the North West
Frontier Province (NWFP) since the beginning of May, when the Pakistani army
began its operations. A further 550,000 had already left over the past eight to
nine months.
About 200,000 of the recently displaced are living in 16
camps set up by the NWFP government in conjunction with UNHCR.
Doctors are concerned about a lack of emergency
obstetric and neonatal care in the camps.
“If, God forbid, there is an obstetric emergency in the
camp after seven in the evening, there are no female medical officers or
paramedic staff, such as skilled birth attendants, or lady health visitors to
provide assistance,” said Dr Aurang Zeb, executive director of Health Society,
an NGO working in IDP camps in Mardan.
Complications, malaria and anaemia
Dr Khalid Khan, a UNFPA district project officer working
with IDPs, said about 15 percent of women giving birth would develop
complications and might require blood transfusions or surgery. He said that in
any conflict situation, pregnancy-related complications increase.
“There is a rise in the number of malaria cases,” said
Salma Naheed, programme officer with HS. “This poses a threat to these pregnant
women, who may be pre-disposed to abortion.” She said medicated mosquito nets
were badly needed as those supplied so far were not enough.
Fouzia Bakht Sher, a health worker in a camp in Swabi,
said that three out of every five women she attended to was anaemic, adding to
the potential risk of a childbirth complication.
However, while there is sufficient medicine - including
iron and vitamin supplements – in the camps, there are no labour rooms or
mid-wives. “Either the deliveries have to be conducted in tents, or the women
have to be shifted to hospitals,” said Bakht Sher.
With current temperature highs of 39 degrees Celsius in
NWFP, displaced people have said being inside their tents is like being in an
oven and giving birth there would be a test of endurance for mothers and
medics.
UNFPA mobile units
In response to this problem, UNFPA has begun bringing in
to the camps specially designed mobile service units (MSU) that are equipped
with a labour/operation room and skilled staff.
“There will be a five-member team in each MSU including
a female medical officer, a lady health visitor, a skilled birth attendant, a
driver and a helper,” explained UNFPA’s Ali.
Ali said the main purpose of the MSUs was to turn rural
health centres into 24-hour Emergency Obstetric Care facilities.
“The rural health centre in Takht Bhai is 3 kms away
from Jalala camp in Mardan, and it takes just five minutes to get to the
facility,” said Ali.
“Because providing safe and secure accommodation for our
female staff is paramount, we are proposing that the MSUs should operate in the
day time and by night they can provide their services at the health centres,”
he said.
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