With food, clean water and shelter in desperately short supply, Pakistan faces a serious humanitarian crisis following the floods. This video from 24th September 2010 gives an overview of MSF's response to the devastation in flood-hit Pakistan.
Transcript
00:09:12 James Kambaki, MSF project coordinator, Dera Murad Jamali (DMJ)
Because the increased number of diarrhoea cases that we see in the hospital, we see it is very important to build latrines and water support in these camps because we want to prevent more cases of diarrhea and a possible outbreak. The problem is that we still have overcrowding, in DMJ (Dera Murad Jamali). So an increased number of people, in an already congested town, if we are not preventing an outbreak it could be a disaster.
00:43:00 Rink De Lange, MSF water and sanitation coordinator
There was actually no clean water in this whole town. There was distribution of water but it came from dirty tanks so there was actually no potable water. So we decided to try to purify, to get at least the plants operating again, up to emergency standards. We isolated one part of this water plant, starting with one, let’s say, “elimination tank”, trying to clean up the water. And as a result we’ve now decreased a bit of that mud, which make it suitable for chlorination. So now we pump about 450,000 litre of water per day that is being distributed in tankers to IDP camps toward town, around town... We manage to get water quality sufficient enough to be able to chlorinate so all the tankers that are leaving this plant are now chlorinated and produce safe drinking water.
01:38:09 Stephen Flanagan, MSF emergency nurse
Following an identification of a rapid rise of diarrhoea cases in this area, it was decided that we needed to set up a diarrhoea treatment cente. Acute watery diarrhoea causes the patient to be completely dehydrated. So most often we've got patients attending the center who are showing signs of lethargy, and sometimes unconsciousness. We rehydrate the patient. This may be orally with ORS, Oral Rehydration Salts, or if the patient is more severe, we will provide intravenous fluid administration.
02:17:02 Zinat Bibi, Mother of a 4 year old child with acute watery diarrhea
We live inside a tent. Recently I heard about MSF, so I brought my child here for treatment. The hospital was full when we arrived. My child kept vomiting and had diarrhea. As we were poor, and they were treating everyone for free, we came here. When he’s cured, I will come back to my tent, and wash him with soap and water. The doctor who cured him told me: 'you will be able to go back, but you’ll have to work on good hygiene. You should clean everything, the more the better.’
02:46:14 Stephen Flanagan, MSF emergency nurse
Certainly the best way to improve the situation is to provide clean drinking water and at the same time make sure that people get early access to treatment. Health education is also a priority for us. We have health educators here in the DTC, and also out in the community, promoting the practice of safe hygiene and fresh water-drinking.
03:11:08 Muhammad, refugee at College Degree Camp, Dera Murad Jamali
Two persons came to us and they told us about medicines.They told us about diarrhoea, and vomiting, and they told us that if you have any patient who is in a serious state, you can take him to our mobile clinic where doctors are available and can treat him. They told us that if you are making any food you must keep the food away from flies, and that you must keep yourself and your surroundings as clean as you can because if not, diseases will spread.
03:36:09 Monia Sayah, MSF community outreach supervisor
The community outreach activities started in the middle of August. Now a few weeks later we have seen a positive impact on the population. One of the main work of the community workers is to deliver health promotion messages, which range from handwashing before and after eating, helping children wash their hands as often as possible, using the latrines - how to use the latrines if possible - and making an effort to actually go to the water point for safe drinking water.
04:04:24 James Kambaki, MSF project coordinator, Dera Murad Jamali (DMJ)
People are now coming back from other towns, to come closer to their homes so that they can see what is remaining and possibly to start reconstructing their lives again.