Monsoons and medicines

Friday, July 03, 2009

A senior official of the WHO, who recently visited the IDP camps, has warned existing stocks of essential medications could run out within two or three weeks. The official has said the situation could lead to epidemic, especially with the approach of the monsoon when the camps could become water-logged or even flooded. In fact, even before now, there have been reports from NGOs and humanitarian agencies of the outbreak of sickness in various camps. The situation is aggravated by the fact that there are insufficient female doctors to treat children and women, who refuse to be attended to by men. It is true that largely as a result of the efforts of major international relief groups there has been an improvement in the situation at camps. The chaos of the early days has begun to dissipate and better facilities have been organized. The efforts of philanthropists who continue to offer up help in terms of food and other supplies to the IDPs are also quite remarkable. But the magnitude of this crisis remains immense. Because of the state of destruction in their home areas, where in many cases infrastructure has been almost wiped out and houses destroyed, many of the IDPs remain reluctant to return. In other cases men have gone back to harvest crops or to attempt to re-build homes, leaving behind families. This means that the displaced people are unlikely to abandon camps any time soon. The WHO has expressed dismay over the prevailing situation and the lack of drugs to treat the sick. In circumstances such as those that prevail at the camps we are all aware that many health hazards exist, and that these will continue to grow. A shortage of medications presents a huge threat in these circumstances. Our government, and everyone else in a position to do so, must heed the WHO warning and do all they can to ward off a human catastrophe that could claim lives and inflict a great deal of possibly avoidable suffering on affected people.