Action Aid has been sending medical teams to Swabi in Pakistan to help the hundreds of thousands made homeless by conflict between the Taliban and government forces. These people are struggling to survive in scorching heat without proper water supplies, sanitation, or health care. Below is diary of Dr Ahsan Hamed, one of Action Aid’s volunteers, described the conflict –
We have been moving from village to village with a team of doctors, nurses and final year medical students. The teammembers showed no sign of fatigue and showed their resolve to come repeatedly and help these poor and destitute butdetermined souls.We have found them to be simple, humble and determined people, though, badly scarred by what they have been through.Some children have prematurely assumed the roles of the adults, using the language of the adults and taking on the same responsibilities of protecting their younger ones.
The valiant people of Malakand
We are now turning our attention towards preventive healthcare – we will organise talks with the village people, both the guests and the hosts, and educate them about common illnesses and their prevention.We will touch subjects like using boiled water, keeping food covered, using soap and brushing teeth. We will also have special sessions with children, young boys and girls and women to listen to their problems and identify their specific needs.
Sitting in their tents or Hujras struggling through each day is not something that these people had anticipated. Although homeless and clueless about their future, the innocent people of Malakand who braved terrorism and sacrificed the comfort of their homes for the military to take out the ‘bad guys’ are still trying to make it through the tough days.
Moosa Khan
I recall an elderly patient Moosa Khan on my very first visit suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He explained that his legs have jammed, though there was no pain.I was cursing myself for not catering for him, but I had no way of knowing if I would encounter such a patient. How I wished I had put just a bottle of his pills in my pocket and that would have lasted him a month. The humanitarian assistance is coming in… the support that we are providing must not stop.
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