(MENAFN- Tribal News Network) Kainat Ali
NOWSEHRA: Zahida Bibi, a widow is living in Shaheed Abad camp for flood affectees in Nowshera district along with her two disabled sons and minor daughters.
Having lost her only possession: a three marla house to the raging torrents, Zahida Bibi improvised family is now struggling with outbreak of skin diseases in her household.
She told TNN that destruction of her house forced to seek shelter in the relief camp, where all her children were suffering skin infections.“All of them are facing severe itchy skins,” she said.
Zahida said that they were neither getting anything in aid as her sons were unable to go out and get something in distribution.“I am worried about my three marla plot as someone can grab it,” she said.
Zahida said that she had received medicines for the treatment of her children; however, she was unable of separating children beds on account of absence of beddings and cots.“This has resulted into all my children contracting skin infections,” she said.
Saadia Bibi, another of her neighbors is also facing similar situation in her household. She said that illnesses infecting children after the floods were taking their toll on kids.“Sometimes they develop itchy skin while other times they have boils develop over their bodies,” she said.
Saadia demanded government and welfare organizations to reconstruct their houses.
Dr Yasir Alam, a doctor at the BHU Nowshera told TNN that flood waters were basic reason of itchy skin among children. He said that in those areas where flood waters stood for prolonged period, it caused skin issues, diarrhea and fever among kids. Similarly, he said that some of the children contracted the diseases by walking in the standing water.
Dr Yasir said that many children developed Cellulitis and scabies as well diarrhea, vomiting and fever following floods.
However, he said that since majority of these people were poor and could not get treatment for their kids, therefore, government should made arrangements for healthcare in winter.
On the other hand, Al-Khidmat Foundation said that they have arranged several medical camps in Nowshera district where hundreds of people were provided free treatment.
Nasir Islam, president of Al-Khidmat Foundation Nowshera said that besides checkups they also provided medicines to the flood affectees. He said that in collaboration with the Al-Shifa Eye Trust they arranged free eye camp for flood affectees. Besides, they also provided medical camps, address complaints of gastroenteritis while in some cases patients also received free eye glasses from doctors.“We provided treatment to 1485 people in Nowshera Cantt camp alone along with medicines,” he said.
KP Health department officials said that following at the floods at one hand where patients were finding it difficult to seek healthcare whereas on the other hand, health staff were also facing problems in providing facilities to patients.
Director Public Health KP Dr Nek Dad said that the province has witnessed upsurge in cases of digestive tract, skin and malaria after the floods.
“There are 63,000 cases of skin infections cases 18,000 cases of malaria and100, 678 cases of acute diarrhea across the province,” he said.
He said that even arranging medicines for these people was a huge challenge.
However, Dr Dad said that they have activated their BHUs and also engaged in free medical camps and secured help of international organizations.
“We arranged 1000 camps in these areas and 350,000 were treated in them while 150,000 others were treated in hospitals,” he said.
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