Pakistan Update #11

Medical Personnel Needed!
To further help address the health issues in Pakistan, we are hoping to send two medical teams to work with our medical practitioners at the hospital (SCH) in short-term blocks through mid-September to the end of October. If epidemics arise, they may need to be extended through November. Each team will need a male and female doctor (or provider), two nurses, as well as a team leader/coordinator, and a cook/laundry helper. The teams will be used for mobile medical camps where determined they can be most useful—one may operate a clinic in Shikarpur, the other may help with Lifeline's clinics in Sukkur, or both may serve in Shikarpur. If epidemics arise, we will stop doing the mobile clinics and use the teams at SCH. For medical personnel interested in serving on one of these teams, please click here: Medical Team.

Health Issues in Pakistan
Generally, at an Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp of 600-700 refugees there are 200-300 patients. Their medical problems usually consist of chronic malnutrition secondary to dietary limitations, as well as parasites, chronic (sometimes severe) anemia, chronic as well as acute diarrhea, due to both worms and giardia, sometimes amoeba; heat-related problems such as dehydration, heat rash and secondary impetigo; scabies, ringworm, conjunctivitis, malaria (both acute and chronic) and upper respiratory infections. For women, chronic PID leading to menstrual irregularities and infertility are seen, and typhoid could become an issue. Our teams will include hospital helpers who will instruct the women on basic hygiene issues, making and uses of ORS (water sanitation kits), causes of diarrhea and anemia, etc., and distribute soap. Nurses will give initial doses of medicines to IDPs and explain how to use them.

Cooks/Laundry Helpers Needed!
We also need individuals to cook and clean laundry for the medical teams, so they can focus on providing urgent health care to the nationals. These positions require a servant’s heart, the ability to cook from scratch and do laundry with basic equipment, to perform (sometimes) physically demanding work and to be ready to do any other tasks as needed to help the medical teams focus on their medical work. If you would like to serve as a cook/laundry helper, please go here: Cook/Laundry Helper for Medical Team.