Bharath call for integrated weather & disaster alert system to advance preparedness measures in health sector

ISLAMABAD, Aug 11 (APP):Minister of State for Health Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath on Tuesday called for integrating weather and disaster alerts issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) with advance preparedness measures in the health sector.

While addressing a conference on National Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, he said that upon issuance of an alert, health teams, medicines, essential medical equipment and other necessary resources should be made available in the affected districts without delay.

He stressed thst climate change had become a permanent reality in Pakistan, directly affecting the population and putting additional pressure on the health system.

“Looking at climate trends over the past several decades, it is clear that climate change has become a permanent reality in Pakistan,” he said, adding that the country was increasingly experiencing extreme weather events, including severe monsoons, abnormal rainfall, cloudbursts, floods and other climate-related disasters.

Dr. Bharath noted that a large number of people were displaced or forced to migrate every year due to climate-related disasters. Such situations significantly increased the risk of malaria, dengue, cholera, diarrhoea and other infectious and epidemic diseases, while children, elderly people and other vulnerable groups faced additional health challenges.

The minister said the country could no longer afford to respond only after an emergency occurred and stressed the need to develop a comprehensive and sustainable system for preparedness, response and recovery.

He reiterated close coordination among the Ministry of Health, provincial health departments, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), international development and aid agencies, and other relevant stakeholders to formulate clear and practical Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

“These SOPs should clearly define the level, institution and mechanism through which the health sector will respond to disasters or mass displacement,” he said.

The Minister of State termed a trained and effective health workforce the most important component of the emergency preparedness system. He stressed that district-level health teams should be trained in managing climate-related disasters, disease outbreaks, emergency medical assistance, the healthcare needs of affected populations and the provision of services in temporary camps.

The minister said the conference should be followed by concrete measures, including training and capacity-building of the health workforce, development of SOPs for healthcare delivery during disasters, clear protocols covering the relocation, rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced populations, and special arrangements for vulnerable groups, particularly pregnant women and children.

“We need the federal and provincial governments, district administrations, international partners, aid agencies and all relevant stakeholders to work under a common framework to effectively protect our population from the increasing impacts of climate change,” he concluded.