Pakistan: Lady health workers in flood-affected villages

Lady health workers strengthen link between communities and health

Story by Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, Communications Officer WHO

For Sabine Nazpazada, one of the greatest satisfactions of being a lady health worker (LHW) is being able to convince flood-affected villagers to protect their children against life‐threatening diseases, like measles and polio, through vaccination.

"This has been very challenging for us. Many people are frustrated and tired. They don't want to see us," says 30‐year Sabine from southern Sindh's Kotri sub‐district. "They say they don't want vaccines or medicines. They want food, they want money, they want to go back to their village."

Sabine says she and other lady health workers try their best to cope with the increasing pressure and frustration of more than 250,000 people who travelled fled flooding since early August in northern Sindh to areas in the provinces south. Kotri sub‐district alone has 65 registered and over 82 unregistered displaced settlement camps.

In Pakistan, LHWs play an increasingly important role in bridging gaps between the health sector and local communities. Since its establishment in the 1990s, LHWs have significantly helped improve the health status of women and children among poor rural and urban communities. An estimated 100,000 lady health workers reach more than 90 million people across Pakistan. Each worker belongs to the community where they work, receives monthly training and provides basic health care.

Another important aspect of their for flood-affected people is the constant change in their interventions with new communities. People in the camps move regularly, especially in unregistered camps. The demand for information and health interventions change weekly, says Sabine's supervisor Shaida Memon, coordinator for the National Health Programme of Kotri sub‐district.

Last week, many went from tent‐to‐tent talking to people about chlorinating water, hygiene and sanitation. This week, they have been conducting measles and polio vaccinations among children in the camps.

"We see new faces and families every time we visit the camps," says Sabine, a LHW since she was 18. "People move all the time, thinking they would get more help in other areas. It is challenging for us because we have to work with new communities, we don't know them and they don't know us."

Health Cluster partners are seeking US$200 million to conduct over 90 relief and early recovery health projects, including to strengthen the capacity of lady health workers through training and provision of materials needed for their work. For more information on mother and child care/reproductive health projects, go to the Pakistan Floods Emergency Response Plan, Revision, September 2010, http://tinyurl.com/35aywrj

For further information contact:

WHO Pakistan
Gul Afridi
Media & Advocacy Officer
Mob: +92-300-501-0640
Off: +92-51-8432486
afridi.gul@gmail.com
afridig@pak.emro.who.int

Syed Haider Ali
Communications Officer
Mob: +92-300-4005944
focus_ali@yahoo.com
ALISY@pak.emro.who.int

Maria Anguera De Sojo
Communications officer
+92-(0)-301-855-1459
SOJOM@pak.emro.who.int