Monsoon torrential rains caused extreme flooding in Pakistan this summer, resulting in more than 1,600 deaths and displacing some 33 million people from their homes. Sindh and Balochistan, in Pakistan’s southwest, remain the worst-hit provinces.
As rain water gushed into towns and villages, destroying everything in its path, millions of people's lives were disrupted. Families who spent their days working in cotton and rice fields and caring for their cattle were left rushing for their lives, leaving everything behind. As houses collapsed and roads were flooded, people were rendered homeless in an instant.
Millions of internally displaced refugees now reside in relief camps set up in different parts of Sindh and Balochistan. The conditions are dire, because these families do not have enough clean drinking water, food, or medicine. They are living without proper shelters and do not know when they will be able to go back home.
The district of Dadu in Sindh has one such relief camp set up on dry land. This is the same district that UN High Commissioner for Refugees Special Envoy Angelina Jolie visited in late September. "In all my life, I have never seen anything like this," the actress said at the time. "Families are sleeping under open skies and have lost everything in these floods."
Most Vulnerable of All
Prior to the floods, expectant mothers could access local hospitals in their hometowns or go to visit traditional midwives called "dais" in villages. However, under the current circumstances, none of that is possible in the refugee camps.
It is estimated that almost 650,000 pregnant women in flood-affected areas require maternal health services to ensure a safe pregnancy and childbirth. But the conditions in these areas are no way near suitable for childbirth.
Momin Zahur, a businessman from Lahore who went to the district of Sindh in Jacobabad as a volunteer at a refugee camp, told Sputnik about the miserable conditions at a local hospital he visited during his trip.
Sharing shocking photos of the maternity ward at the hospital, Zahur told Sputnik that it was in such a bad state that it was just "unimaginable." "Having a baby in those rooms, full of dirt and bacteria is just horrifying," he said.
A hospital in Jacobabad region in Sindh, Pakistan
© Aneela Rashid
Hospital in Jacobabad region in Sindh, Pakistan
© Aneela Rashid
Volunteers bringing new beds and medical equipment to a local hospital in Jacobabad region, Sindh, Pakistan
© Aneela Rashid
Zahur explained that he, joined by his brother and their local friend, Khalid, have been bringing and setting up new medical equipment and beds for the expectant mothers, as currently these women were lying outside the hospital in makeshift resting areas under open skies.
"The roof of this hospital has collapsed in numerous places. We bought some new equipment for the hospital and together with Khalid and the help of the local government we are trying to set it up to help them," the volunteer told Sputnik.
In a shocking statement, Zahur shared that "women who arrived in a state of labor were put on the road and were told to give birth on the road," in front of the government hospital, after which they were just left lying there, suffering from malnutrition and exhaustion.
The volunteer further explained that the women have nowhere else to go, as there are no other health facilities nearby.
Flood refugees sitting on beds outside a local hospital in Jacobabad region, Sindh, Pakistan
© Aneela Rashid
Women refugee victims sitting on beds, outside a local hospital in Jacobabad, Sindh
© Aneela Rashid
"The situation is extremely dire in these parts of Sindh, there is just so much corruption and the help coming is not enough," Zahur said. "Everyone should come together and help them. These poor people really need our help as soon as possible."
Safe-Delivery Kits & Healthy Babies
There are numerous organizations such as the Mama Baby Fund and Aga Khan University that are working in flood-hit areas and distribute safe-delivery kits to pregnant women.
These kits contain basic materials an expecting mother may need if she goes into labor: a clean tarp to lie on, a sterile blade with which to cut the umbilical cord, a clean set of clothes for her baby to wear, and vitamins like folic acid.
Large teams of volunteers from the nearby city of Karachi have also begun working with these organizations, assisting them with whatever they can. Midwives working in these refugee camps have been provided with solar-powered lamps to use in case of nighttime deliveries, as there is no electricity in relief camps, thus everything goes pitch dark after nightfall.
Crisis Far From Over
However, despite some hope and help provided by these brave volunteers, the situation remains critical, because thousands of displaced women are extremely malnourished and there is not enough food for them.
To add to their misery, there are reports of acute epidemics breaking out in refugee camps. Diseases like diarrhea, malaria, dengue fever, skin infections, and other viral illnesses are wreaking further havoc on their lives.
Meanwhile, the UNFPA reports that around 73,000 women were expected to give birth in September alone and these women would have needed skilled birth attendants, newborn care, and support.
But sadly, the floods destroyed many of the good health facilities in the area. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,460 health facilities have been affected, of which 432 are fully damaged and 1,028 are partially damaged, and access to health facilities, healthcare workers, and essential medicines and medical supplies is limited.