Minister vows health facilities in flood-hit areas

Facilities are being provided to get people treatment for skin diseases, gastroenteritis and diarrhoea.

SUKKUR: All flood-hit areas will be provided with health facilities over the next two weeks while medicines will be distributed on the basis of need for the next three months, said Labour and Manpower Minister Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah on Tuesday.

Four field hospitals have also been set up, said Shah, who visited the flood-hit areas of Kashmore, Ghotki, Larkana, Jacobabad and Shikarpur and said that they will be provided with health facilities on an emergency basis.

Gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, snake bites and skin diseases are common in these areas and facilities are being provided to get people treatment, said Shah, who warned that strict action will be taken against officials who are reported for negligence.

He said that the provincial governments have been asked to list the areas that have been hit by the floods and Sindh has already submitted a list in this regard.

Coordination between the provinces and the federal government will be improved, said Shah, who added that the provision of health facilities in 40 districts across the country is the government’s first priority. The process of compensating people will also start after the IDP registration process is complete.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 1^st, 2010.