Syed Ali Shah, Ali Jan Mangi:
QUETTA: In flood-affected areas of Balochistan, thousands of pregnant women are in urgent need of healthcare. So far, the health department government of Balochistan has failed to compile the district-wise data of pregnant women in flood-affected districts of the province.
Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo said women and children remained the worst sufferers of recent monsoon rains. Thousands of women are pregnant and the health department was providing the required medicines and support to the women, Mr. Bizenjo said.
Despite repeated attempts, this scribe was not able to get the data on pregnant women in flood-affected areas of Balochistan. Especially, a major portion of the population has been displaced in the Naseerabad division, which was completely flooded.
“There are pregnant women but the government is not providing the required treatment”, Muhammad Jan Mangi, one of the flood affectees told Daily Quetta Voice via telephone. He said, “My sister-in-law is pregnant and the health department has not provided the required food and medicines”.
Rights groups have also expressed serious concern about the plight of women and children in flood-affected areas of the province. “Authorities should ensure the provision of required medicines and food in the affected areas”, Yaseen Mughal, one of the women rights activists in Quetta demanded. The Aurat Foundation and other rights bodies addressed a press conference in Quetta and expressed their concern about the pregnant women in flood-affected areas.
“At least they should compile data of pregnant women”, Yasmeen Mughal noted.
Chief Minister urged the international community to play its role in rehabilitating the affected people. “The damage is beyond the government’s capacity, ” he said. CM Balochistan stated that Pakistan’s contribution to the gas emissions warming the planet was less than one percent.
Despite this all, the damages inflicted by climate change were disastrous and huge, he said. Chief Minister Balochistan thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for all his support for the rehabilitation of the flood-affected people.
