Women, children bear collateral damage

Lack of access to healthcare, medicines risks worsening the abysmal state of maternal and infant health in the provinc

PESHAWAR:

Although the government has claimed that the law-and-order situation in the Kurram Agency has improved after the signing of the peace accord, the on-ground difficulties faced by vulnerable groups including pregnant women and children, continue to plague families stuck in the conflict zone.

Kurram Agency, a tribal district adjacent to the border area of Afghanistan, is home to a population of nearly 700,000 people divided between the upper, lower and central areas. The recent sectarian clashes arising among the Sunni and Shia communities of the region took a deadly turn, when a convoy attack in November last year killed more than 43 people. Subsequent clashes over the past two months have resulted in the loss of even more lives.

In an attempt to curtail the violence, the main route from Lower Kurram to Upper Kurram via the Thal-Parachinar Road was closed for many days, cutting off access to medicines, food supplies and health facilities. While the unavailability of medical care was a concern for all people in need, pregnant women and children were affected worst by the crisis.

Toheeda Bibi, a pregnant woman from the Kurram agency revealed that in the aftermath of the clashes, she and her family had left their village, moving to Peshawar. Toheeda, who was spotted outside a hospital in Peshawar for a routine checkup, shared the deplorable condition of pregnant women in her hometown.

"The situation in our area is alarming. No medicines or doctors are available due to the conflict. As a result, maternal and child health have been badly impacted. I had to leave my hometown with a heavy heart since the group killings, land disputes and sectarian clashes were getting out of control," said Toheeda.

"Since the past few months, the situation in the entire region has been tense. While many innocent people have been killed during the clashes, children and pregnant women are suffering from poor health outcomes," informed Rehan Muhammad, a resident of Lower Kurram.

"Pregnant women stuck in the area require special care including the provision of medicines and proper health check-ups. However, due to the recent road closures, many families have no choice but to have their women give birth at home," said an official from a hospital in Parachinar.

According to Adnan Khan, a local journalist from the Lower Kurram area, the conflict and violence plaguing the area had instigated severe shortages of medicines and supplements including infant formula milk. "People of the area have been compelled to put tea in the feeding bottles of their infant babies. The government is claiming to provide medicines to the area but shortages are still rampant due to which many children have died in hospitals," added Khan.

An official working at a hospital in Parachinar revealed to The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity that so far around 46 children had died during the past few months due to chest infections and other viral diseases.

Meanwhile, K-P government's spokesperson, Barrister Dr Muhammad Saif, assured that the situation had been normalized thanks to the provincial government's efforts. "The government will provide medicines and all food necessities to the affected area," he claimed.

On a similar note, K-P's Governor Faisal Kareem Kundi informed that he had already directed the Pakistan Red Crescent Society to provide medicines and healthcare facilities for women and children stuck in the conflict area.