MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Joint AusAID and Department of Defence
More than 1,000 flood-affected Pakistanis have been provided with primary health care treatment since the opening of the Australian health centre at Kot Addu in Punjab province late last week.
The health centre, which is staffed by Australian civilian and defence doctors, nurses and paramedics, is now seeing more than 200 patients a day, some of whom are in critical need of medical attention.
The flood-affected population of Kot Addu has been treated for a variety of conditions including diarrhoea, skin conditions, malaria, chronic conditions and other illnesses and injuries.
The Australian Medical Task Force, led by AusAID and the Australian Defence Force, runs the health centre. It has been set up to relieve over-burdened local health services in Kot Addu, where tens of thousands of people are homeless and more than 250,000 are still relying on food assistance.
The Task Force is providing primary health care–care similar to a general practice–including maternal and children's health, a ward for day treatment, basic diagnostic services, including x-ray and pathology, a pharmacy and a preventative health program.
Dr Ian Norton, from Darwin's National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, said the team has a wealth of experience and were stepping up to the challenge.
'Many of the people we've treated, especially many of the children, would have died had we not been able to treat them. Many seriously ill people have come to us for treatment,' Dr Norton said.
Officer in Charge of the Health Facility, Squadron Leader Andrew Pearson, also acknowledges the operation is challenging but very gratifying.
'The team has found it enormously challenging given the sheer number of people needing treatment and the heat, but we've really enjoyed the hard work and learned a lot about ourselves and the Pakistani people. There's not one of us who hasn't been thrilled to be here to help,' he said.
The health centre in Kot Addu is part of the wider Australian Government package of assistance to Pakistan in the wake of the floods. Australia has contributed $35 million to date to support the immediate relief efforts of United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements and non-government organisations.
Media contact:
- Defence Media Liaison: 02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
- AusAID Media: 0417 680 590