Our Primary Health Care Clinic in Talhatta, north western Pakistan, has opened its doors to the many flood victims from the surrounding area and villages.  Initial reports from our staff are that our clinic premises are unaffected but there are many villages nearby that need help. It is fortunate we have such a well functioning clinic in one of the areas hardest hit by these recent floods.

The only other health facilities, the Balakot District Headquarters Hospital and another facility (already strained and ineffective facilities) have been severely damaged by the flooding, leaving RMF’s Talhatta clinic as the only fully functioning health facility in Balakot Valley, an area with a population of 120,000 people.  Local government officials have asked RMF to be ready to accommodate the influx of patients they’re expecting.  RMF held 4 outreach health camps for flood victims in the same area in 2008 and is gearing up to provide similar assistance again.

According the International Red Cross, two and a half million people have been affected by the devastating floods in north-west Pakistan with at least 1,100 people dead and thousands have lost everything.

“In the worst-affected areas, entire villages were washed away without warning by walls of flood water,” the Red Cross said in a statement. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10834414)

With the strong local support and network we have built in this region over the past two years, we are thankful that the Real Medicine team is ready and able to respond to this latest situation.  We will update with further news as it comes in from our staff in the field. Caitlin McQuilling, RMF’s Director of Programs for Pakistan/India, was just recently visiting our clinic in Talhatta a couple of weeks ago.  See Caitlin’s blog entry about our clinic here.

As always we can use any additional support you can provide to ensure that our clinic is able to handle this huge increase in patient demand.

For more information about the clinic and our initiative in north western Pakistan, visit:  RMF Talhatta Clinic Initiative