The heavy monsoon rains and the attendant flash floods have destroyed or significantly damaged at least 700 health centers throughout Balochistan, the provincial health department said.
The Balochistan Health Department released a report appraising the damage the recent catastrophe has caused to Balochistan’s reeling healthcare infrastructure. The health department estimated the raging waters have damaged health care centers throughout Balochistan, significantly stalling the healthcare services in at least 26 districts.
The report comes at a time when the flood-hit areas are suffering from a variety of water-borne diseases, such as malaria, gastroenteritis, and diarrhea among others.
WHO officials have said the healthcare workers and paramedics don’t have access to the medicines, machinery, and medical equipment to treat the people suffering from the diseases.
The provincial health department said the healthcare apparatus of Balochistan was already suffering from numerous problems when the floods hit. It said that the situation is even worse in the remote areas of Balochistan where land access is cut off as the roads were washed away in the floods.
The health department further added that at least 700 healthcare centers have been destroyed in 26 districts of Balochistan. The majority of them are in Lasbela, Jaffarabad, Pishin, Naseerabad, Qila Saifullah, and Kohlu. Of these, 278 regional health units have been completely destroyed.
The health department said that the “alarming” situation calls for the government’s attention – cases of water-borne diseases are surging, and the government needs to take immediate action to address the issues before they spiral out of control.
It should be noted that all 35 districts of Balochistan were affected by the floods, and at least 323 deaths were reported in rain-related incidents. Since the floods have subsided, the ensuing water-borne diseases have killed an additional 38, and the numbers keep rising.
The floods have also caused a food shortage – granaries are getting empty and children are already showing signs of malnutrition in the worst-hit areas of Balochistan.
The education system of Balochistan has also come to a screeching halt – according to one report, the floods have damaged 2859 schools throughout Balochistan, the majority of them in Lasbela.