Direct Relief Delivering $190,000 in Medical Aid to Pakistan

August 30, 2010 

Direct Relief International is delivering $190,000 (wholesale) in medical aid this week to American Refugee Committee (ARC) in Pakistan to support relief efforts. With extensive flooding affecting over one third of the country, ARC has been staging basic health units in flood areas, including Swat, Balochistan, and Nasserabad provinces. The 17-pallet, six-and-a-half-ton consignment includes a critically needed emergency module, worth $50,000 wholesale from Johnson & Johnson (J&J), which features products specially tailored to address medical issues during an emergency.

The module, which J&J donated to Direct Relief for exactly this purpose, has been staged at our Santa Barbara warehouse for immediate deployment when needed.  The module included most-needed items such as ointment, bandages, and sutures.  As news reports have indicated, the need is extreme in Pakistan, with millions of people displaced by flooding and affected by standing and contaminated water.

Along with the emergency module, ARC is receiving other needed products pulled from Direct Relief’s standing inventory, which it has specifically requested, including antifungal medicines, amoxicillin, and multivitamins. With cholera, malaria, and infections showing up in their patient populations, ARC has specifically requested these items to help treat these prevalent conditions.

In addition to delivering medical aid now totaling $525,000, Direct Relief has also facilitated in-country donations from Abbott Labs in Pakistan of needed product to ARC and Marie Stopes Society Pakistan to expedite relief efforts in the emergency response.

Abbott Expands In-Country Donations to Support Pakistan Response

Longtime Direct Relief supporter Abbott Laboratories is expanding its in-country donations of medical aid for people affected by extensive flooding in Pakistan by providing a second round of requested medicines to American Refugee Committee (ARC). Abbott is donating medical items directly from its affiliate in Pakistan, which speeds up delivery of urgently needed aid. Products include ibuprofen; clarithromycin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic for upper and lower respiratory infections, skin infections, and others; and high-potency adult and pediatric vitamin and mineral supplements.

ARC has been staging basic health units in the affected areas to treat people experiencing health issues, which are increasing as the displaced are exposed to contaminated, standing water and living in temporary camps.

Millions of people have been displaced by record flooding in Pakistan since late July. Direct Relief has been coordinating with partners in country and corporate supporters to provide aid to help flood survivors get the medical care they need through our partners in Pakistan. Abbott has been a strong supporter of this effort, providing critically needed aid to ARC and Marie Stopes Society Pakistan, which is treating patients in 35 affected districts of Pakistan.

Direct Relief Airlifting $335,000 in Medical Aid to Pakistan
August 20, 2010 

Direct Relief International is airlifting $335,000 in medical material aid to Pakistan to help people affected by the ongoing extensive flooding there. Marie Stopes Society in Pakistan will receive the materials, which it will use to equip its medical outreach camps in 35 affected districts.

With an estimated 20 million people in Pakistan affected by record flooding, waterborne diseases among the displaced are a significant health concern. Direct Relief’s in-country partners are confirming cases of cholera, with malaria also posing a “real threat” in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where standing and contaminated water is widespread.

American Refugee Committee (ARC), which has been deploying mobile medical teams to treat the displaced since the start of the flooding, reports that it has seen confirmed cases of cholera, with skin, eye, and respiratory infections on the rise. Direct Relief is sending an emergency module of medical supplies from the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies to support ARC’s relief efforts.

Dr. Haamid Jaffer, director of Murshid Hospital and Healthcare Centers in Balochistan, says the hospital is working to support the needs of a refugee camp that is home to 100,000 people and is located a few miles from the hospital. The Murshid Hospital is focusing particularly on maternal and child health needs and admitting severe cases to the hospital.

Direct Relief is sourcing appropriate aid for partners in Pakistan, including drawing on its standing inventory to meet medical needs of the affected. Abbott Labs has donated critically needed oral rehydration solutions and medicines from its in-country facilities to expedite delivery. Bristol-Myers Squibb has released $19,000 in emergency relief funds in support of the emergency response as well.

Direct Relief Expediting In-Country Medical Aid Delivery for Pakistan

Products to treat waterborne illnesses needed urgently

August 17, 2010 

Direct Relief International is expediting the in-country delivery of urgently needed medical supplies to organizations supporting people affected by flooding in Pakistan. Abbott Laboratories in Pakistan is donating the children’s oral rehydration solution Pedialyte and the pharmaceutical Entamizole, used to treat gastrointestinal infections including acute amoebic dysentery and giardia, which are common when people are exposed to contaminated standing water in flood situations.

American Refugee Committee and Marie Stopes Society in Pakistan will be receiving the medical aid. These longtime partners of Direct Relief are working to treat people with waterborne illnesses and other conditions at emergency medical camps in the affected areas.

“Our teams are quickly running out of medicines and the public health issues are just beginning,” reported Jill McGrath Jones, program director at ARC Pakistan. “We have seven basic health units running in Swat as well as one or two medical camps (depending on coordination). In Balochistan, we operate seven basic health units in three Afghan refugee camps, and since the flooding are sending mobile health teams to Sibi, Nasserabad, and Jaffarabad toward the south; the need is great there.

“Skin and eye infections are rising as people are wading in and using contaminated water and mud,” she continued. “Acute watery diarrhea is rising daily. In Balochistan the teams are seeing about five cases of malaria per day now in one basic health unit. With stagnant water everywhere, this is expected to rise. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa there have been ongoing fears of cholera and suspected cases, and there is a confirmed case this weekend.”

Quetta Hospital in Balochistan province is also identifying needed medical supplies to treat an influx of patients streaming into the capital city because of flooding. The medical team affiliated with St. Luke’s Church in Abbottabad has treated more than 1,800 patients.

With an estimated 20 million people affected by flooding, waterborne diseases are a serious health threat. Direct Relief’s response team is working closely with partners to deliver the aid they request to assist people in Pakistan during this large-scale emergency.

August 13, 2010: Listen to a radio interview with Brett Williams, Director of Emergency Response

Direct Relief Delivering Needed Aid for Pakistan Flood Response

August 12, 2010 

Direct Relief International is sending an initial shipment of more than $335,000 (wholesale) in medical aid to support the emergency response to extensive flooding in Pakistan. Marie Stopes Society Pakistan (MSSP), a longtime partner, will receive the shipment to equip medical camps in each of the 22 districts that have been affected.

The delivery includes antibiotics, antifungal agents, and medical supplies—items that have been carefully tailored to suit the needs of patients who have been affected by flooding. Waterborne diseases are the greatest concern. Patients are being treated for eye and skin infections, respiratory infections, diarrhea, and other water-related conditions. Avoiding an outbreak of diseases such as cholera, which spreads easily when hygiene and sanitation systems are compromised, is a priority as well.

Direct Relief’s corporate supporters are generously donating to the Pakistan flood response. The Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies has donated a J&J Disaster Module, which contains materials tailored specifically to a flood emergency, as well as the costs of air-freighting the module to the American Refugee Committee (ARC), which is supporting basic health units in the affected areas.

The organization’s emergency response team has been in contact with private, governmental, and nongovernmental agencies responding to the emergency. Since the flooding began, the organization has been corresponding with several partners across Pakistan to identify needs and offer assistance.

See a summary of partners and their response here.  

Direct Relief International Responds to Pakistan Flooding, Committing Up to $5 Million in Medical Aid

August 10, 2010 

Direct Relief International announced today that it has made an initial commitment of up to $5 million in medical material aid for emergency flood relief efforts in Pakistan. The organization has been working closely with several longtime partners in Pakistan who are assisting the injured and displaced, which number a reported 13 million throughout the country.

“Direct Relief is committed to helping the people of Pakistan get through this enormously difficult period and on the road to recovery,” said Thomas Tighe, President and CEO of Direct Relief International. “It is a major, complex humanitarian emergency affecting millions of people across a huge area—the immediate need is urgent, and the long haul will be tough."

On early news of the flooding, Direct Relief’s emergency response team reached out to partners including the Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences (PIPOS), Marie Stopes Society Pakistan (MSSP), and American Refugee Committee (ARC) to offer medical material assistance. With infrastructure such as roads, bridges, villages, and homes destroyed during heavy storms and flooding since late July, search and rescue efforts have been the priority, according to news reports.

ARC and MSSP have sent medical outreach teams to assist the people displaced by flooding and in need of medical care. Both groups are identifying specific materials and medicines to best support their emergency response and coordinating their requests with Direct Relief’s team. Waterborne diseases are of the greatest concern; partners report seeing patients for skin and eye infections, respiratory infections, and diarrhea, which often occur in flood situations.

American Refugee Committee has assisted displaced populations in Pakistan since 2002, providing basic services including shelter, food, and medical care. Marie Stopes Society provides reproductive health and primary care services to people in need throughout Pakistan. PIPOS was founded by Dr. Bakht Sarwar to help rehabilitate people injured in the 2005 earthquake, and is now one of the most esteemed facilities of its kind.

Direct Relief built strong relationships with healthcare providers in Pakistan during the organization’s ongoing response to the 2005 earthquake there. The organization delivered more than $14 million in medical aid to assist people injured in the earthquake, with a particular emphasis on prosthetic and orthotic services for the disabled.

Emergency Response Team Coordinating with Partners to Identify Medical Aid Needs for the Flood-Affected

August 9, 2010 

Direct Relief International is working closely with partners in Pakistan to assist people affected by extensive flooding there. According to news reports, flood waters have killed more than 1,600 and displaced or affected more than 13 million people in the country.

Direct Relief’s emergency response team is working with longtime partners Marie Stopes Society Pakistan and the American Refugee Committee (ARC), among others, to identify the most needed items from the organization’s standing inventory of medicines, supplies, and equipment.  Any needed items that are not currently in inventory will be sought from product donors.

Marie Stopes staff reports that its medical outreach teams are seeing patients for a range of flood-related illnesses, including respiratory infections, skin and eye infections, and gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea.

Direct Relief is also coordinating response efforts with supporting medical manufacturers who have production facilities in Pakistan to expedite delivery of needed medical aid.

The organization’s emergency response team has been reaching out to partners in Pakistan to offer assistance since news broke last week about the flooding to deliver the most targeted aid possible.

Partners in Pakistan Assessing Needs as Rescue Efforts Continue

Waterborne diseases a primary health concern for the displaced

August 2, 2010 

Direct Relief is coordinating response efforts with partners in Pakistan to help the millions of people displaced by extreme flooding throughout the country. Partners are echoing news reports that the northwestern region has been hit particularly hard, destroying bridges and cutting off villages that are home to tens of thousands of people.

“It’s a very horrible situation,” reports Dr. Bakht Sarwar, of the Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences (PIPOS). “Peshawar has been completely cut off from the rest of the country for four days. I tried and managed yesterday to go to village by foot, boat, and car to see the situation with my own eyes. It’s water, water everywhere…I want to help however I can. Once again, thank you for your concern and help.”

Broken sanitation systems as well as standing and contaminated water pose the biggest health threats during flood events. The World Health Organization and local health ministers have indeed named waterborne diseases—including diarrhea, typhoid, malaria, cholera, and infections of the skin and eyes—as health concerns for people affected by the floods in Pakistan.

Direct Relief’s longtime partner in Pakistan, the American Refugee Committee (ARC), reports that its team is gearing up for a response and has sent mobile health units to assist marooned basic health units in Swat.  Brett Williams, Direct Relief’s Director of Emergency Response, is in contact with ARC’s senior program coordinator in Pakistan to help facilitate medical aid and identify specific needs from standing inventory.

The United Nations estimates that a million people across Pakistan have been affected by the floods, while reported deaths range from 1,100 to 3,000. Direct Relief will continue to stay in close contact with partners in the country responding to this widespread emergency to assist in the most appropriate, targeted way possible. 

Direct Relief Offers Assistance in Response to Flooding in Pakistan

July 30, 2010 

Direct Relief International has offered emergency medical aid to healthcare partners responding to massive flooding in Pakistan. According to news reports, flooding over the past week has killed more than 430 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in both the southern and northwestern portions of the country, destroying homes, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure.

Direct Relief has strong partnerships in Pakistan, built since the response to the 2005 earthquake there. To help those affected by flooding, the organization’s emergency response team has contacted three partners in Pakistan: Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic & Orthotic Sciences (PIPOS), Murshid Hospital and Health Care Center, and American Refugee Committee (ARC).

• PIPOS, in Peshawar, is distinguished as the preeminent amputee hospital in the country and provides artificial limbs for patients at five clinic sites across Pakistan.
• Murshid Hospital and Health Care Center was established in 1988 to serve the underprivileged people of suburban Karachi and Baluchistan. The modern 123-bed hospital offers services in 19 specialties with a 24-hour emergency room, intensive care unit, and four operating theaters.
• Since 2002, American Refugee Committee has assisted Afghan refugees in Baluchistan to rebuild their lives by providing healthcare services, security, microfinance opportunities, and community development.

With extensive experience responding to flood emergencies, Direct Relief is prepared to assist in the most effective manner according to partners’ needs and requests. The organization will continue to stay in close touch with partners and monitor the situation through news reports.