Dr. Shafqat Shezad, from the SDPI, in her presentation, Situation Analysis: Injuries, Disabilities, and Traumas of Pakistan Recent Earthquake focused on the health impacts of the recent earthquake. She said that the earthquake effected around 5 million people, with more than 86, 000 killed and over 100, 000 injured. In addition to the deaths and injuries, there have been outbreaks of life threatening diseases like cholera, diarrhea, tetanus, measles, hepatitis C and meningitis. Dr. Shafqat presented separate numbers for injuries, disabilities, hospital admissions, amputations and mortality figures. She discussed how the earthquake had three major devastating effects: (i) loss of human life; (ii) injuries, disabilities, traumas; and (iii) significant damage to health infrastructure adding to the miseries of the population effected as they could not access health care services in their area. The damaged water, sewage, and energy supply structures have further disrupted the health care system. Speaking about international donations in the region, she informed the participants how around 67.6 % of the committed amount is in terms of loan. She pointed out the post earthquake challenges Pakistan's is facing, such as an adequate delivery of primary health services, restoration of secondary health services, a demonstrated capacity to control epidemics and an adequate system monitoring outbreak of diseases.
Mohammad Sabir, National Expert GRBI, Pakistan, in his presentation, Health and Gender-Responsive Budget: alternative ways of listening to need conducted a comparative study into health expenditures by South Asian countries. Pakistan spends only 3.9% of its GDP as compared to Maldives that spends a significant 6.7% of its GDP on health. He maintained that the health systems are facing issues of equity, effectiveness and efficiency. A range of environmental, social, and cultural factors effects the health care seeking behavior of individuals and households. The range of factors that limit access to health care for poor women include time constraints, intra-household resource allocation, decision-making relating to health care, and legal and socio-cultural constraints. Mr. Sabir elaborated upon looking into gender responsive budgeting while tackling gender concerns in the health sector as the process ensures economic efficiency and transparency in the sector.
Dr. Iftikhar N. Hassan of Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), Rawalpindi, in her presentation The Symptoms and Severity of Earthquake Victims Admitted in the Hospitals of Rawalpindi/Islamabad: A Fatima Jinnah Women University experience explained how most of the earthquake victims were women and children. This happened as the children were trapped in schools and women remained indoors with infants. The hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were overstretched trying to cope with the biggest disaster in the history of the country. Though doctors struggled to save the lives and limbs of the injured, little attention was paid to the psychological trauma that both the injured and survivors were faced with now. Responding to this need, the FJWU students trained in trauma counseling were sent to various hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad for counseling of the earthquake victims. Dr. Hassan shared some case studies from her experience in trauma counseling which the participants found very helpful. The nature of psychological problems survivors face includes death of family member(s), guilt of survival, disabilities, fear of an unknown future and so on. Her case studies showed that there are more female amputees than male. She was of the view that the number of artificial limbs produced in the country is far less than the demand. In her presentation she commented on the spirit of volunteerism in the community and the overwhelming volume of relief material donated by the people of Pakistan.
Nazima Shaheen from SDPI in her presentation The Impact of Noise Pollution on Patients' Health and Recovery in Rawalpindi General Hospital, Rawalpindi: A Case Study looked into the impact of noise pollution on earthquake victims and patients' health and recovery in Rawalpindi General Hospital. The results of the study showed that the major impacts of noise pollution as indicated by the respondents are discomfort, annoyance, distraction in sleep or rest, discomfort in communication with colleagues in wards, operation theater, laboratory, offices, difficulty in attending to patients, ear irritations, headache, stomach upsets, nausea and high blood pressure. The results obtained from a survey monitoring noise pollution levels in the area call for urgent attention on behalf of government authorities.
Dr. Najma Najam, Vice Chancellor, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, chaired the session. Dr. Tayib Tahir of Cardiff, United Kingdom, and Dr. Saeed Shafqat, from the National Institute of Population Studies were the discussants for the session. Dr. Tayyib Tahir stressed upon the need for post trauma psychological counseling for the earthquake victims. He made a case for Pakistan developing institutions responsible for imparting training in psychological counseling and therapeutic care. Dr. Saeed Safqat felt that Pakistan's response to the earthquake was ‘belief' based rather than ‘knowledge' based. There was also an urgent need for creating awareness on natural calamities on a larger scale.
Reported by Mohammad Shah Farrukh
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