Floods have a significant negative impact on public health, particularly for vulnerable groups like pregnant women, children, and the elderly. Health services are often poor or non-existent during floods when demand increases. CHARM has responded in past floods by distributing sanitary supplies, providing medical training, and setting up referrals; however, providing medical care during floods remains a challenge. A customized action plan is needed that involves stakeholders, assesses vulnerabilities, estimates health impacts, and prepares mitigation, preparedness, and response strategies.

1. Impact of Floods on Health Dr Shakeel ur Rahman Centre for Health And Resource Management CHARM

2. Background Survivors of natural disasters face extraordinary difficulties affecting their health. Have little or no access to health services, including primary care for mothers and children. Pregnant women deliver babies without access to safe medical care. While demand for health services often increases during floods, available services are often poor or nonexistent.

3. Background (cont..) Women during floods are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and violence, Immediate and sustained attention to maternal and child health services can significantly improve rates of mortality and morbidity.

4. The Challenges Providing medical services during floods has always been a challenge. Health interventions during floods and flood like situation need to be examined at policy and implementation level. Displaced people have little or no access to health services, including primary care for mothers and children. Pregnant displaced women have delivered babies without access to safe medical care. Lack of a gender perspective in plans for mitigation/preparedness/response Presence of multi stakeholders

5. Most common health impacts of floods Injuries Water borne diseases Vector borne diseases Snake bites Break out of Epidemics like Cholera/Measles Post Traumatic Stress Disorders Malnutrition specially among children Reproductive Tract Infections specially among women

6. Who is at risk? Poor Pregnant women (specially during last trimester) Children Elderly residents Immuno-compromised

7. CHARM’s response in past Distribution of sanitary napkins Capacity building of Traditional Birth Attendants and family members of pregnant women in last trimester on danger signals during pregnancy, five cleans and on identification of high risk pregnant women Distribution of Disposable Delivery Kits Linkages with individuals, agencies (government/nongovernment) for referral of high risk patients including cases of EOC Use of battery operated nebulisers

8. Customised Plan of Action Identification/assessment of all hazards/vulnerabilities (vulnerability assessment and capacity assessment at community level) Estimating health impacts Identification of all stakeholders, their roles, resources, expectations and their capacities All stakeholders preparing their plans for mitigation, preparedness and response Prepositioning of supplies Capacity building of communities and resources available within the communities Gender sensitive plan

9. THANKS