FIMA Year Book 2010-2011 - Federation of Islamic Medical ...

RELIEF AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
o Excavation project, cleared ~ 20 miles of
roadways.
o USD10,000 was transferred to al-Khidmat
Foundation to establish a Women and
Children’s health center in Layyah, Punjab
o Collaboration: al-Khidmat, PIMA, and
Pakistan Kidney Institute (Dr. Saeed
Akther)
o PIMA similarly completed the following
projects in collaboration with IMANA:
- Purchased medical supplies and equipment
for field hospitals.
- Established 5 IDP camps in conjunction
with PKI accommodating 14,000.
- Established 2 diarrhea centers in Sukkur in
collaboration with WHO and (Pakistan
Kidney Institute) PKI.
o Dera Gazi Foundation (DF):
- Operating 7 basic health units (BHU), six of
them in Rajunpur and one in Dera Ghazi
Khan. The BHUs served approximately
90,000 patients. Each BHU was fully
staffed with a doctor and local pharmacy
tech and ancillary staff.
- Dera Ghazi Khan BHUs remained
operational, seeing 100-150 patients per
day. In Dera Ghazi Khan there are 2
vocational training centers for women.
o The last current project: The installation of
water pumps. A total of 1,000 water pumps
installed throughout villages in the affected
areas. Each water pump has the
PKI/IMANA logo on it.
Lessons and Concerns:
With all PIMA/FIMA major relief involvements
and achievements, there were several deficiencies
and handicaps during these recent relief
undertakings, that need proper efforts and
preparedness: The following are some of the main
concerns:
• Lack of proper information about disastersrelated
issues, local conditions and local
culture, among some international relief
NGOs.
• Lack of education, training of relief providers
and perpetual drills.
• Lack of coordinated activities among various
relief NGOs.
• Resources from Pakistani nationals from all
over the world, although generous, were used
in a scattered manner without much
coordination and cooperation.
Horizons ahead:
Prediction of disasters and reduction of their
impact by proper preparedness are the mainstay of
disaster management 6-9 . PIMA, with a holistic and
multidisciplinary relief approach, has been always
struggling to be functional in line with the main
guidelines and standards of disaster management.
The way forward, however, awaits more quality
actions to increase efficiency and effectiveness of
disaster emergency response and preparedness at
community, national and international levels.
The following recognized guidelines represent
horizons to strive for by PIMA, FIMA and other
relief organizations:
• Sound and well coordinated warning system
is required for all sorts of calamities.
• Disaster prediction and preparedness
mechanism at national, provincial and city
levels needs to be introduced.
• Regular training workshops on disaster
management for medical and other workers.
• Prepare a list of volunteers ready to leave
their normal work place in minimum possible
period to extend services to minimize the
effect of disaster.
• Training of these volunteers and periodic
exercises to deal with emergency situations in
a scientific way.
• Medical relief and rehabilitation must be part
of continuing Medical education (CME)
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