Pakistan: NWFP (Northwest Frontier Province) Crisis update
Pakistan / 19.05.09
Current warfare in the North West Frontier Province has forced Médecins Sans Frontières to stop its emergency medical care in the Swat region. Already since April 2009, the conflict has intensified in Lower Dir, Buner and now in Swat. Médecins Sans Frontières was the only humanitarian medical organisation supporting the hospital in Mingora and provided ambulance services in Swat.
In Lower Dir, Médecins Sans Frontières continues to provide clean water and basic healthcare to displaced people in two camps. In Peshawar, Médecins Sans Frontières is prepared for a possible arrival of more displaced, including injured civilians who cannot find treatment closer to home. Médecins Sans Frontières has a team on standby in Dargai, Malakand to assist all those who need surgery.
Médecins Sans Frontières supports a trauma centre in Peshawar and the emergency room in Khyber hospital.
Médecins Sans Frontières also supports one internally displaced persons’ camp in Mardan District providing healthcare, clean water, building latrines and distributing of non food items (NFI) to 1000 families.
When violence flared up in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and the North West Frontier Province in April 2009, Médecins Sans Frontières teams in Peshawar were able to distribute essential non food items to over 100 families displaced from Buner living with host families.
Médecins Sans Frontières continues to work in four basic health units in the Peshawar neighbourhoods that are hosting families displaced by the war. An estimated 45,000 displaced are living with host families (the estimated resident population in these areas are 66,000 people). Médecins Sans Frontières provided primary health care with referral to secondary structures. A team has also supported a camp in Charsadda and distributed essential non-food items and tents, water and sanitation activities, i.e. built latrines, washing areas and drainage systems for over 30,000 displaced people in Peshawar, Charsadda and Mardan since August 2008.
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