Over half a million pregnant women in Pakistan in need of care, UN report

According to a UN estimate, nearly 33 million people have been impacted by the extraordinary natural disaster, which has killed more than 1,100 people, and at least 6,50,000 pregnant women in the flood-stricken areas urgently require medical attention in Pakistan.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also cautioned that gender-based violence (GBV) against Pakistani women and children was more likely to occur as a result of the over one million dwellings that were damaged in the floods.

Since early June, a third of Pakistan has been inundated by monsoon rains. A portion of the county has been devastated by the strong floods. Over two million acres of agricultural land has been destroyed and destroyed a vital source of food and livelihood.

According to the UN agency, 198 health facilities were damaged in Balochistan, while over 1,000 health facilities were either partially or completely destroyed in Sindh, the province most severely hit by the present flood scenario.

The most vulnerable people in this hour of crisis are women and babies. They require the utmost care, the report cited.

Despite the difficult humanitarian situation, we will keep providing health institutions with the tools and personnel they need to operate at full capacity, said UNFPA Pakistan Representative Bakhtior Kadirov.