The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has reported that Pakistan has around 650,000 pregnant women in flood-affected areas while 73,000 flood affectees are due to give birth next month, all of whom need immediate need maternal health services.
It stated that “up to 73,000 women expected to deliver next month will need skilled birth attendants, newborn care, and support,” and emphasized that women and babies are vulnerable and need the most care, and pregnancies and childbirth cannot wait for emergencies or natural disasters to end.
The UNFPA’s ad interim (a.i) representative in Pakistan, Dr. Bakhtior Kadirov, said, “UNFPA is on the ground, working with partners, to ensure that pregnant women and new mothers continue receiving life-saving services even under the most challenging conditions”.
The UNFPA also disclosed that more than 1,000 health care facilities have been either partially or completely destroyed in Sindh while 198 health facilities were damaged in Balochistan, and the destruction of roads and bridges is also hindering women from reaching medical facilities in time.
“We will continue supporting health facilities with the equipment and human resources to be fully operational despite the challenging humanitarian conditions,” Dr. Kadirov affirmed.
The UNFPA has accelerated its emergency response to provide reproductive health services to as many women as possible. It has acquired 8,311 dignity kits, 7,411 newborn baby kits, and 6,412 clean delivery kits for immediate delivery to the affected areas in Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On the other hand, the UN agency also reported that numerous women are at a high risk of gender-based violence (GBV) as almost a million houses have been completely washed away by the floods, adding to the misery. In cognizance of this, it stated that it is also prioritizing GBV prevention and response services, including medical and psychosocial support to survivors.