About 710 individuals were provided with free medical consultations, treatment, and essential medicines
- Communities battle Climate Change Shocks as Rising Health Issues Threaten Vulnerable Populations in District Umerkot
Umerkot, Sindh
The Association for Water, Applied Education & Renewable Energy (AWARE) organized a free medical camp at village Babu Faqeer, union council Khan Sahib Atta Muhammad Palli of district Umerkot, where about 710 individuals were provided with free medical consultations, treatment, and essential medicines.
The medical camp, organized on Dec 15, 2024, funded by the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) under the Restoration of Social Services and Climate Resilience (RSSCR) project, was a vital initiative addressing health challenges happened due to climate change and mitigating the shock of the 2022 flood.
During diagnosing the patients, it was found that eye infection, ear infection, female diseases, cold, diarrhea, pneumonia and scabies were main diseases reported in the area.
“Climate change poses significant risks to human health, exacerbating respiratory diseases, heat-related illnesses, and the spread of vector-borne diseases in Umerkot,” Dr. Sumayya Shafique, from Transparent Hands, speaking at the camp highlighted the dire healthcare disparities in rural regions. “The lack of quality healthcare continues to result in high health issues especially in women, actually women are not aware about health and hygiene that lead to them major issues,” she stated.
Read: Climate Change and its Impact on Gender in Rural areas of Sindh
“Bridging this gap demands sustained partnerships to extend accessible and effective health services to underserved communities be because in remote areas there is lack of suitable health facilities.”
“Extreme weather events, such as floods and droughts, disrupt access to clean water and healthcare, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. Addressing these impacts requires urgent climate adaptation and healthcare solutions,” she said.
Dr. Rahib Ali, Project Manager at AWARE, emphasized the importance of localized healthcare delivery. “Our approach focuses on bringing medical professionals directly to the people, ensuring immediate relief and long-term community trust,” he explained.
Social activist Faheem Ahmed highlighted that a significant portion of the local population lives in poverty, unable to afford costly laboratory tests. This initiative has provided crucial support to the most marginalized, effectively reducing health issues in the area. (PR)
Read: WB Mission highlights future climate change threats to Sindh
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