Over half a million pregnant women in the flood-affected areas are in urgent need of maternal health services, and many others are at an elevated risk of gender-based violence, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Following the recent severe monsoon rains’ devastating floods, at least 6.4 million people—1.6 million of them are women and girls—need humanitarian aid.
“Up to 73,000 women expected to deliver next month will need skilled birth attendants, newborn care, and support. In addition, many women and girls are at an increased risk of gender-based violence (GBV) as almost 1 million houses have been damaged,” a UNFP report stated.
Pregnancy and childbirth, according to the agency, cannot wait for calamities or natural disasters to occur because this is a time when both the woman and the unborn child are most vulnerable and in need of care.
Dr. Bakhtior Kadirov, the UNFP’s representative in Pakistan, said the organization is on the ground and working with partners to ensure that expectant mothers and new mothers continue to receive life-saving care despite the most difficult circumstances.
According to the research, 198 health facilities are damaged in the afflicted districts of Balochistan, putting girls’ and women’s access to them at risk. In Sindh, over 1,000 health facilities have been partially or completely destroyed.
Dr Kadirov said that the UNFPA will continue supporting health facilities with the equipment and human resources to be fully operational despite the challenges.
“UNFPA is scaling up its emergency response to provide life-saving reproductive health services and commodities, including dignity kits, for women and girls,” the report read.
For urgent delivery to Sindh, Balochistan, KP, and Punjab, UNFPA Pakistan has already begun distributing 8,311 dignity kits, 7,411 newborn baby kits, and 6,412 clean delivery kits.
Additionally, it is giving priority to services for gender-based violence survivors, such as medical and psychosocial support.
