Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Monday thanked the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its assistance and co-operation to provide health facilities to the affected people in the quake-hit areas.
He was talking to WHO Director General Dr Lee Jong wook and four-member delegation of WHO here at Prime Minister House. Federal Minister for Health Mohammad Nasir Khan also attended the meeting.
The prime minister said apart from the physical injuries it is the psychological impact of the trauma which the survivors have suffered, that needs to be handled on priority basis.
Shaukat Aziz said the people, particularly women, need counselling by specialists.
He appreciated the prompt help and reaction of the international community to help Pakistan during this hour of trial.
The prime minister asked WHO Director General Dr Lee Jong wook to look into the possibility of establishing an emergency and disaster management cell in Islamabad to look after the needs of the entire region.
He also asked Dr Lee that a data bank of resources and expertise of all the countries should be prepared for speedy action to meet the such disasters,
Shaukat Aziz said: "This would be beneficial to the whole world."
Referring to the relief and rehabilitation work going in the quake-hit areas, he said: "We want to create an opportunity out of the disaster."
The prime minister said that due to timely action taken by the government, support from over 60 countries, help from local and international NGOs and blessings of Allah Almighty, no epidemic was reported in the quake-hit areas.
He said clean drinking water is being provided to the camps and there is no shortage of vaccines.
He also highlighted the commendable role played by the country's armed forces in the relief, rescue and rehabilitation work.
The prime minister said that Pakistan was actively working on the eradication of diseases like polio, TB, cholera, and hepatitis.
He said that curing of HIV/AIDS also has a high priority for the government, and a close vigil is being maintained in the case of Bird Flu, although no case has been detected in the country so far.
The prime minister said: "Water-borne diseases are a major threat to humanity and for checking these diseases the federal government, in collaboration with provincial governments, is setting up elaborate programme for providing safe drinking water to every citizen and allocated Rs 8 billion."
He thanked Dr Lee for rebuilding 100 basic health units (BHUs) in the disaster-stricken areas. Sixty of these would he established in AJK and 40 in NWFP.
Dr Lee praised the efforts of the government in dealing with such a massive earthquake, adding there was cleanliness and everything was well organised.
Makeshift schools are being established and despite the lack of resources, sanitation and health facilities are being provided to the affected people, said Dr Lee.
Comments
Comments are closed.