Mehmood-Ul-Hassan Khan
United Arab Emirates has become icon of health care campaigns in Pakistan. From top to bottom every one is working hard to lessen the sufferings of suffered people in the flood inflicted areas in the country. We have UAE professional doctors, highly qualified nurses, well trained paramedical staff, and the last not the least, medical experts in the many mobile medical field hospitals in the different parts of the country busy to take care of them in the best ways. UAE’s intensive relief operation in Pakistan once again proves its full commitment to humanitarian and ethical responsibilities and its keen interest to save lives and human dignity. Furthermore, it also shows the core strength of our brotherly bilateral relations.
The Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation (KBZF), UAE’s Red Crescent authority (UAERCA), Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Foundation (MBRCF) and the last not the least UAE Military Relief Force are making new history of humanity, brotherhood, services, delivery and above all relief operations in most affected areas of Pakistan. They are all busy to lessen the human miseries of the people and they have now treated as icons of survival and hope.
Health Care Campaigns
Right from the beginning health care campaigns were initiated under the instructions of President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the follow up of General H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
The mobile medical team of UAE Armed Forces along with other UAE based NGOs and organizations are engaged in diversified health programs for proper medical care and medications to the most affected people especially the children and women in flood inflicted areas. According to UNO recently published report (September, 2010) a total of 3.5 million children have been left vulnerable by the floods so, in this regard, the well planned health programs of UAE Armed Forces and other organizations are becoming essential to control vulnerability factors in these areas.
(a) UAE Red Crescent
Another prestigious organization the UAE Red Crescent’s medical team is doing great job to bring some comfort to the lives of distressed people in flood affected areas by proving them proper health services. It has completed vaccination of 79,000 women and children living in the flood relief camps in Nowshera and nearby towns. The ongoing health care campaign launched in cooperation with the UNICEF. It aims to vaccinate 625,000 people against measles and tetanus in these areas. The continued vaccination drive is part of the continuing humanitarian operations of the UAE. RCA, in cooperation with UNICEF, is also conducting a health awareness campaign to educate people to adopt preventive measures to check spreading of diseases for averting epidemics. The RCA medical team is dealing with the skin diseases and eye inflammation caused by polluted stagnant water in Malik Abad a village near to Nowshera.
(b) UAE Armed Forces
UAE Armed Forces medical team has professional doctors, well trained nurses, and experienced specialists doing noble work in Pakistan. They are working around the clock and have so far served more than 2288 people in the affected areas. It has also been effective air bridge between the provinces of Punjab and Sindh which helped the government’s efforts to assuage the agonies of flood affected people. It has been doing great airlifted supplies work to places beleaguered by flood and areas unapproachable through roads.
(c) UAE World Humanitarian Field Hospital
Another renowned organization the UAE World Humanitarian Field Hospital for Children has started providing curative, surgical, preventative and training services to children affected by the floods in Pakistan. It has so far, received more than 200 patients in Sindh. It is supervised by the UAE Pakistani Arab International medical team, the hospital is carried out a joint, humanitarian public-private partnership among the different prestigious institutions of UAE
Contributory Activities
The KBZF, UAERCA, MBRCF and the last not the least UAE Military Relief Force are busy in different types of relief and financial assistance activities in the most affected areas in the country. Most recently, the UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA) initiated a campaign to distribute Zakat Al Fitr and Eid clothing to the people in the remote villages affected by super floods. 12-truck full of wheat flour, rice, sugar, edible oil and tea was distributed in the affected areas. The trucks also contained clothes and children toys. The team also continues to provide the displaced with psychological support to mitigate the trauma. On the other side, the RCA is also preparing to donate/distribute 200000 fully equipped tents (shelter house) to homeless people. The fleet of UAE Armed Forces Chinook planes stationed at the Pakistan Air Force Base in Multan has so far transported more than 110 tons of relief goods. The KBZF is going to distribute 20000 food packets, 120,000 liters of mineral water and 100,000 tents and more water purification plants along with supplies of medicines in the near future in different parts of the country.
Supportive Role of UAE Embassy in Pakistan
UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Ali Saif Al-Awani has been central figure between the different UAE organizations/ government organs and local authorities in Pakistan. He has been an effective bridge in relief goods distribution, health care programs or interaction with the high officials in Pakistan. From around the clock, he is engaged and physically visited to each and every stationed mobile medical hospitals and attended massive vaccination campaigns in the most affected areas in the country. He facilitated each and every possible support from the UAE foreign mission in Pakistan for the help of the needy people. The last but not least, Ali Saif Al-Awani the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan has been “live wire” in the continued relief good distribution activities and health care programs in the country.
Concluding Remarks
Thanks to the instructions of the visionary leadership of President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the follow up of General H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces to help the vulnerable and desperate souls in the most affected areas of Pakistan. They are doing great job in relief goods distribution activities, health care campaigns and financial assistance. Their foremost priority is to stand first and serve till the end for the wellbeing of these badly affected general masses. The supportive role of the UAE foreign mission in Pakistan under the supervision of Ali Saif Al-Awani the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan is significant.