Pregnant women face problems: UN
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—Around 17,000 earthquake-affected women in Pakistan are expected to give birth in the next two months and an estimated 1,200 will face major complications and about 400 will require surgical assistance, the United Nations has said. The United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) has warned that the health and safety of these pregnant women and adolescent girls are in jeopardy due to the shock and trauma they suffered in the October 8 quake.
The UNFPA said the harsh living conditions of these women and their very limited access to basic health services and emergency obstetric care could cause more problems for them. UNFPA is providing clean delivery kits, caesarean section kits, emergency supplies and much-needed surgical equipment to health centers and referral facilities as part of the United Nations’ coordinated response.
Nine UNFPA mobile clinics continue to offer medical assistance to affected communities in two hard-hit districts, Mansehra in North West Frontier Province and Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan administered Kashmir.
Over the past week, UNFPA staff have treated over 10,000 patients and performed more than 80 deliveries. One woman with labor complications was flown by helicopter along with a woman doctor to the hospital in Muzaffarabad, where she safely delivered a healthy baby boy.