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Health updates on internally-displaced persons (IDPs) from north Waziristan
- The Health Cluster has conducted a rapid health need assessment in Bannu, which reveals that the highest percentage of disease prevalence reported is diarrhoea (52%); the lowest is measles (5%). Similarly cough/cold/fever and malaria comprised 47% and 43%, respectively, of reported diseases, while skin diseases and other diseases such as hepatitis/hypertension/tuberculosis/diabetes were documented at 19% and 7%, respectively.
- A 10-day multi-antigen/measles campaign with enhanced package, including vitamin A supplementation, deworming of children, provision of oral rehydration solution, is planned for 4 August–13 August 2014 in Bannu.
- More support is required to strengthen reproductive health interventions in terms of reproductive health kits, female doctors and nurses, lady health volunteers, laboratory staff, etc.
- There is a need to establish a stabilization centre for facility-based life-saving treatment of severe acute malnutrition with complications.
Expression of Interest: raising awareness to control and prevent the spread of hepatitis B and C
WHO intends to conduct a mass awareness-raising campaign against the spread of viral hepatitis B and C in targeted districts of Pakistan. It is therefore seeking proposals from nongovernmental organizations, public and private sector organizations to submit technical and financial proposals on raising awareness of target groups in selected districts of Pakistan. Once proposals have been carefully reviewed and found in compliance with the prerequisite qualifications and experience, the short-listed firm may be offered a time-bound contract to conduct agreed activities.
The main purpose of this assignment is to raise the awareness of the general public and health care providers on the spread and prevention of hepatitis B and C. The selected firm shall develop appropriate approaches and methodologies to sensitize pertinent stakeholders and communities in the 25 high-risk districts in all four provinces of the country.
Scope of the work
The assignment will be based upon the development of low-cost methodologies to reach communities, in addition to involving relevant stakeholders at district level to raise their awareness on the spread and prevention of hepatitis B and C. Detailed technical and financial proposals should be developed outlining methodology keeping in mind:
- low cost approaches for awareness raising of communities and relevant stakeholders
- use of appropriate and multiple low-cost mediums of communications for awareness raising
- details of target audience with strategies to involve/reach them
- details of activities
- comprehensive implementation and monitoring mechanisms.
Deliverables
The deliverables include:
- comprehensive plan for implementation, monitoring and reporting
- report on finalized plan
- district wise report
- overall report
- summary power point presentation.
Duration of the assignment
The total duration of this assignment would be 3 months.
Budget
The budget should be prepared on line item-wise basis.
List of target districts
Click on the link for the list of target districts.
Eligibility criteria
Organizations with experience of undertaking similar assignments are required to apply submitting their profile and expertise.
Submission of separate sealed technical and financial proposals
Sealed proposals must be submitted latest by 27 September 2013 at the WHO country office, Park Road, Chak Shahzad, Islamabad.
WHO Representative
PO Box 1013
Islamabad
+92 51 9255184-5, 9255077, 8432400.
Drought in Tharparker
25 March 2014 – Tharparkar is geographically situated in the southern region with a population of 1 226 800. On its north is district Umer-kot, in the west district Mirpur Khas and district Badin, and on its eastern border Rajistan (India) and south Gujrat (India). Tharparkar comprise of four taluka; (Mithi, Islam-Kot, Chachro, Nagarparkar), with 3 taluka hospitals, 2 rural health centres, 32 basic health centres and a DHQ hospital with a nutrition stabilization centre in its pediatrics ward working 24/7.
Tharparkar is a food-insecure district as per the VAM 2009 report and is frequently affected by drought. There is indifferent rainfall in the talukas of the district that creates an unequal situation. There were reports in the media that more than 36 children lost their lives to malnutrition during February, as reported by civil hospital Mithi, due to scarcity of food.
After this news was aired all the stakeholders, PDMA, NDMA , federal and provincial government officials rushed to Mithi to help the drought-affected people of Tharparkar. The Chief of Sindh office WHO, along with Provincial Nutrition Officer and Department of Health officials visited the district to assess the situation in close coordination with the district health management team.
Untimely and low rainfall has caused crop failure in Tharparkar, which, coupled with an outbreak of sheep pox in small livestock, may be strongly associated with an increase in child deaths in recent months. To understand the link, it is important to understand the socioeconomic context of the Thari society. Almost half the population of Tharparkar is non-Muslim, poor and with minimal access to social services, including health care.
Households have limited financial resources. Whenever families require cash for essential commodities or services, they take their animals to the nearest market and trade in or sell them to fulfil their requirements. In Thari society, there is no culture of cash savings. They keep their investments in their livestock, which makes households vulnerable to adverse events. The current sheep pox epidemic is wiping out their livestock and ability to survive. It can be expected that life in Tharparkar will become more difficult in the coming days and months.
