WHO official inaugurates EOC in DI Khan

DI KHAN: World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Pakistan Dr Palitha Mahipala along with district administration officials inaugurated an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for flood response in the premises of District Health Office here on Friday.

According to a handout released here, the EOC was established with the support of WHO Pakistan in collaboration with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department. On the occasion, Dr Palitha Mahipala while talking to media said the WHO was aware of the devastation of recent floods, which affected 33 million people and over two million households in Pakistan.

He said that 6.4 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance. He said the WHO had already set up 10 EOCs in different other parts of the country.

“We have come out with a strong plan to support people, government and health authorities to respond extremely well in flood-affected areas. The first wave of disaster comes with a lot of devastation while the second wave will be diseases like malaria, dengue and others,” he said.

He said the establishment of the center was aimed at coordinated efforts with all the partners and donors to respond to the flood situation in DI Khan more effectively.

“Today we have donated a large quantity of medicines which are needed by the patients in medical camps,” Dr Palitha Mahipala said.

He said: “The WHO has undertaken to renovate 10 health facilities which are partially damaged besides taking four houses on rent to restore health facilities which are fully damaged.”

He expressed the commitment that the WHO would support the district health authorities in provision of all the necessary equipment, medicines and the human resource as well.

He informed that a nutrition stabilisation center is also being established which will start responding to the nutrition situation in the district within a week. The WHO representative in Pakistan said a lot of efforts were underway and the organisation was continuously there to support the people in DI Khan.

Earlier, while briefing the WHO team, Dr Asad from the district health department stated that 22 health facilities were partially damaged in the recent floods while four health facilities including BHU Rasheed, BHU Garra Madda, CD Ratta Kulachi and CD Garra Rehman were completely damaged