UNICEF starts work on health units in earthquake-hit areas
Staff Report

ISLAMABAD—United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has started construction of permanent buildings for Basic Health Units in earthquake-hit areas of NWFP and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
These sites included Basic Health Unit (BHU) Bandi Chamali in Abbottabad, BHU Muzaffarabad, BHU Government Primary School Matta Nilishang in Battagram and BHU at Masjid School Gara Mohra Hullarin Bagh. Martin Mogwanja, UNICEF Country Representative told that reconstruction of each health unit would cost Rs 20 million and
these projects would be completed within eight months.
“UNICEF will ensure that these new buildings are also adequately staffed and equipped to meet needs of the community,” he said. Martin added that UNICEF would make efforts for training of medical staff and equipment of community health workers to ensure children and women’s access to essential health care.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) Lt-Gen Nadeem Ahmed said that their authority, in collaboration with UNICEF, has designed the healthunit’s buildings under modern plan to cater all needs of the
visiting patients, especially children and women.
“Integration of facilities have been managed to ensure alltypes of health care facilities under one roof,” he said, adding that it would reduce problems of patients who otherwise had to gofor testing and vaccination to different centres. In addition to this building, UNICEF has committed to rebuild 500 schools and another 54 health centres, he added. “We need to build the human capacity as soon as possible, otherwise, we will have buildings but there will be no doctors or paramedics trained to provide health services,” the Deputy Chairman said.