PAKISTAN: “Humanitarian Response for Displaced

BACKGROUND
In late April 2009, insecurity intensified in the Malakand Division, leading to mass forced displacement of 2.31 million
people in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Traumatized by their journey, and leaving with virtually nothing, these vulnerable men, women and children are in
urgent need of medical assistance, reproductive health care, food rations, safe water
supply and shelter from soaring temperatures.
The massive dislocation in NWFP has put pregnant women at special risk, exacerbating
the already severe lack of access to prenatal care, assisted delivery and emergency
obstetric care. Of the displaced population, 69,300 are pregnant women. Nearly 6000
women are estimated to give birth within the next month, and approximately 900 women
will need surgical interventions to handle pregnancy-related complications.
UNFPA EMERGENCY RESPONSE
UNFPA has been providing emergency reproductive health services to communities
affected by the crisis. The Fund continues to work closely with federal, provincial, district
authorities and NGOs to provide life-saving reproductive health services in IDP camps
hosting districts in Noshehra, Lower Dir, Charsada, Mardan and Sawabi Districts. As part of the UN-led joint funding
appeal launched as of 22 May 2009, UNFPA is asking donors for $3.9 million to provide comprehensive maternal,
neonatal and child health care services, basic hygiene supplies and psychosocial support, both in camps and in nearby
medical facilities, through the end of 2009.
MEETING IMMEDIATE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEEDS
UNFPA is well-positioned to rapidly address urgent reproductive health needs and the grief and distress triggered by
the acute humanitarian situation.
UNFPA’s Reproductive Health interventions being planned and/or provided include:
• Health care providers working at UNFPA service delivery points have served more than 27,000 displaced
people since last August.
• UNFPA has conducted a maternal, neonatal, and child health situational survey in IDP hosting districts and
accordingly has established functional labor rooms at selected service delivery points (SDPs).
• Currently, UNFPA has established six fully-equipped SDPs (Service Delivery Points) in 5 districts to provide
basic emergency obstetric care. This includes 5 SDPs established in camps (four working through Mobile
Service Units and one at static school building in Palosa camp). These SDPs are provided with trained
personnel, necessary equipment and medicines.
• At the Pabbi civil hospital in District Nowshera, UNFPA is supporting comprehensive emergency obstetric care
near Jalozi camp (the largest camp with population of 90,000) to respond to pregnancy-related surgical
interventions.
• UNFPA has provided reproductive health kits (RH kits) containing various medical instruments, medicines and
supplies to each SDP.
• The Fund will strengthen four district hospitals and seven referral health facilities to deal with increased
demand for medical services.
• 15,000 personal hygiene kits have been dispatched in the field to serve specific needs of displaced women and
an additional 150,000 hygiene kits are currently being prepared for distribution. These kits include cotton
rolls, gauze, a piece of cloth, soap, polythene bags, washing powder, towels, plastic comb, nail clippers,
prickly heat powder, mosquito repellent body lotion, and a small carry-bag.
• UNFPA is also responsible for addressing the displaced women’s protection and psychosocial issues. Working
with community-based partners in camps, the Fund has organized health education, counseling sessions and
focus groups to identify specific needs.
• As a lead agency of the Gender Sub-Cluster, under the Protection Cluster, UNFPA coordinates with all key
actors to ensure the needs and concerns of women and girls are mainstreamed into different interventions.

source:www.unfpa.org