Women Workers Help Line (WWHL), member of Labour Relief Campaign, organized a 3-day mobile medical relief camp for women and children in the up mountain areas of worst hit district Bagh of Azad Kashmir from 28th to 31st October 2005. The purpose of the activity was to provide medicines and consultations to ailing mothers, pregnant women and small children and distribute warm clothing among much needy new–born babies.

A five-member team comprising Bushra Khaliq, Nazli Javed (LHV) Areeqa Munir( senior gynea assistant) Muhammad Aslam and Abdul Khaliq ( researcher)  leftvfor Paniola on 28th October. The team visited several

remote areas including Paniola, Bagh City, Charoti, Airh Gali, Camrota, Jhola Nara and Surmeela.

After reaching Paniola the team had a quick meeting with local contacts and decided to immediately visit the worst hit areas of Bagh. After discussion with the local activists it was decided to move to remote villages at the up mountains, at 6600 height and above, which were in fact skipped by other relief teams.

 During the three day tour the team provided medical services to 400 people including pregnant women, mothers, small children and elderly people. Moreover, about 50 new-born babies were provided warm clothing.

Following are some major impressions gathered by the team. 

About 60 percent of the Bagh city is completely demolished, but life is limping to normalcy.
Since most of the hospitals and dispensaries are demolished, so the patients are in distress and need medicines at their doorstep, especially when the winter is fast approaching.
Much of the attention is being given to the seriously injured, but no body is going to realize the degree of threat to life of pregnant mothers and new-born babies.
Women, mothers and children living in pathetic conditions in the tent cities. The tents are very small and lacked basic necessities, especially medicines and warm clothing.
Women and children are suffering from various diseases especially pneumonia, dysentery and skin allergy.
Only two army men were found removing debris manually from the boys boarding house, which indicates resigned state of mind on the part of the state.
The medical teams have shifted to forward areas for rescue and relief.  The result is that the people who got the first aid are now left in the middle and there is no follow up of these injured and ailing people
including pregnant mothers, small children and the elderly.
At various places people requested the team to revisit their areas as we were the only and first team which got there to provide follow up medical relief to mothers and children.
Considering the rising number of patients, the team had to extend stay and visited some remote villages where is nothing like medical facility.
People are thankful to organizations and general masses but are critical about behaviour and methodology of army men regarding distribution of food items and other aid.
People complained that the army men were not providing the exact relief items, being provided by the western countries; rather they are replacing these items with the local stuff.
Some male patients at Jhlan Nara shouted at the team for not being provided with medicines. They got angry and said who is responsible, where should we go for treatment and medicine. We had no answer.  Anyhow the
team felt pressurized to provide them medical facility.
As a result of the tragedy social issues are fast emerging. There are some tent theft cases also reported.
BUSHRA KHALIQ

General Secretary

Women Workers Help Line

Women Workers Help Line arbetar nära Palmecentrets samarbetsorganisation Labour Education Foundation.

Stöd deras arbete genom I-fonden – sätt in ditt bidrag på pg 570-2 och ange ”Pakistan”.