Body count: ‘85 adults among 201 Thar victims’

PPP leader contradicts earlier claim of CM that no adult had died in the district.

KARACHI:

For the first time, the Sindh government has officially confirmed that 201 people — 116 children and 85 adults — have died in Tharparkar district due to poor weather conditions, malnutrition and pneumonia since December.

By issuing this statement, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and in-charge of relief operation in Thar, Taj Haider, contradicted the earlier claims of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, who had said that no adult had died in Thar. PPP ministers had also earlier maintained that the death toll was around 100 and the media was creating a hype by providing misleading statistics. The CM had said, "Hype is being created in the media. Why have only infants died if there was hunger problem? I challenge these reports. Not a single person of 10 years or above has died in Tharparkrar."

Haider, however, had a different story to share with the media on Saturday.  Addressing a press conference along with the special secretary health, the director-general of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and the relief commissioner, at the Sindh Secretariat, Haider endorsed the CM's claim that hunger was not the cause of deaths, but confirmed that 51 men and 34 women have died in the area. "These figures have been received from hospitals. The actual death toll could be higher because many deaths have reportedly occurred in the villages too."

He said that the provincial government as well as various stakeholders, including army, navy, civil society organisations and the federal government, has taken an active part in relief activities.

"We have distributed wheat bags among 260,000 families free of cost.  Out of a total 1.6 million population, around 1.3 million have received government relief so far. This means we have covered around 80 per cent area and the work is still going on," he said, adding that Mithi, Islamkot, Diplo and Chahchro are the areas where the government is trying to help every person without any discrimination and political affiliation.

Regarding the death of livestock, he said, "Due to severe cold in winter, grazing lands were nowhere to be found in the district and this was causing death among livestock." Around 2,056 sheep have died, he added. "There were various diseases among the animals and we formed a mobile team to vaccinate around 2.8 million animals," he said, appreciating the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government for providing Rs100 million and sending 35 doctors and paramedics. Haider lamented that all basic healthcare centres and hospitals were ill-equipped. "The situation is alarming as there are no physicians, surgeons and child specialists in the area."

According to the PPP leader, the government has now made functional all hospitals and basic health centres in the district.  "Each taluka hospital treats around 1,000 patients every day and 31 basic health centres are working along with 35 medical camps set up by army and navy. In addition, there are 14 mobile hospitals to treat the patients," he said, adding that as many as 62,000 patients have been treated in the basic health centres so far.

Doctors' appointment

He said that the government had already advertised the vacant positions about two months ago to appoint the doctors and after the recent deaths, around 52 doctors, including 11 specialists, have been appointed.

Pre-fabricated hospital

The PPP leader went on to say that the provincial government has not only enhanced the capability of district hospital in Mithi by adding 60 more beds, but it is trying to build a state-of-the-art hospital.  "Around Rs700 million have been allocated to build a pre-fabricated hospital."

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2014.