UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 06 July 2009 - UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan Martin Mogwanja praised Pakistanis today for the help they have rendered to the 2 million of their countrymen and women who have been forced from their homes by the conflict in the country’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

He opined, “The everyday people of Pakistan are the real heroes of this current crisis in Pakistan…They set an inspiring example of extraordinary generosity for the whole world.”

Despite the massive influx of displaced persons, the population has played a large role in ensuring that they have food, somewhere to stay, and other necessities. The majority of the refugees are sheltered in local homes rather than in internally displaced persons camps.

Mr. Mogwanja commended them to the international community as a model of generosity and urged other countries to step up their aid and help to the millions in Pakistan who fled the violence that wracked the region as a result of clashes between federal troops and opposition fighters. 

However, not all of those menaced by the fighting in the North West Frontier Province have been able to escape to safer areas.

Eric Laroche, Assistant Director General of the Health Action in Crises Cluster of the World Health Organisation, warned, “There are major challenges facing the displaced and those people still caught in the conflict area, for example in the Swat Valley and other conflict zones, where health facilities have been damaged or destroyed.”

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is also worried about the plight of women and children, many of whom are still stuck amidst the fighting. One UNICEF official indicated that reports suggest they are facing “intolerable circumstances without proper access to clean, potable water, medical services and food.  

Among those who fled the conflict zone, apparently over 60 percent are under 18 who are in need of help of all kinds, as well as access to education.  

Dr. Laroche warned that the deficits in the medical system in Pakistan must be remedied because the population is already affected by a variety of diseases. Without new shipments of vital drugs and equipment and further personnel, not only to care for the sick but also to prevent new outbreaks, the country risks serious damage to public health. For some drugs, there is only enough for a couple more weeks.  

Because the women are uncomfortable with male medical personnel, he emphasized that “we need to have other women, Pashtun women doctors, Pashtun women workers, health workers, to be taking care of them… This is a major challenge.”

Dr. Laroche was particularly worried by the health care resources in the communities, while reporting that he was pleased with the provision of medical care found in the internally displaced persons camps.   

Despite the laudatory willingness of the population to take in refuges, the addition of the displaced to the local population has stretched the infrastructure, including sanitation, water, and medical, to their breaking point.

Nonetheless, WHO has successfully detected and contained more than 30 cases of spreading infectious diseases, thanks to an early warning initiative set up by the agency.

Dr. Laroche was in Pakistan last week to observe and analyze conditions there and make recommendations on how to best proceed.

Still, funding is very short, he observed, “We have gotten only 27 per cent of what we were asking for. And what we are asking for is not even 10 per cent of the overall [total]. We are asking for $4 million.” Without more money, the critical operations of the UN agencies will not be able to continue.