Health Care in danger for Internally Displaced People around the world
On Saturday 8 October 2005, when devastating earthquake hit Pakistan and Kashmir that causes the lives of millions with death, pain, misery and destruction. I was there working with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in emergency and relief period and World Food Program (WFP) in recovery period. On Tuesday 15 November 2005, I went with the ICRC tem on a trip to camp near Chakwal for assessment to the earthquake victims there. It was around 11 AM when we came across a severely sick mother with a six months baby dying with nutrition and disease on her lap and three other her children laying beside her with the same problem and their father was killed by the earthquake. The mother and her children cannot even move their fingers to protect and cover from the flies gathering on them. There was an MCH only 100 metre distance, unfortunately, the MCH nurses and other staff waiting people to come and seek treatment but they didn’t think about that the people in the camp they cannot even get up to visit to the medical centre. So they need someone who go around and check what is going on. We all shock and cry and immediately took them to the MCH for emergency treatment and requested the camp authority if they can take them to Islamabad for better treatment and they accepted our request and they took the mother and her four children to Islamabad.
After a week, our team and I visited the mother and her children at Hospital in Islamabad. It was sad that the mother lost her six month old baby, however, the rest were survived and at that time the other three children were playing outside of the hospital. The mother came to thank us and hugged each and every one of our team. It was unforgettable experience.
Hassan Ibrahim