Prone to natural disasters, Pakistan has, over the years, been at the center of the shifting narrative on climate change and its disproportionate effects on developing countries. In its history, Pakistan’s monsoon season has produced at least 20 major floods, with the most recent one adversely affecting almost 15% of the country’s population.
The Aga Khan University has been actively responding to such disasters, acknowledging the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnera
ble countries like Pakistan. Despite reduced international presence in recent times, local support, including that from within AKU's community, has proven instrumental in filling the void.
“Building upon our significant institutional capacity to address large-scale public health issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, AKU once again played a critical role in creating a rapid response to last year’s devastating floods. Within 48 hours, our first set of medical camps were operational. Over two months, we set up almost 1200 camps that delivered care to over 400,000 flood victims. Our expansive research infrastructure across Pakistan was critical for our rapid response,” said Mustafa Hassan, Director of Shared Research Services and Member, Integrated Disaster Response Programme.
As the floods continued to wreak havoc within the country, a Flood Task Force, led by then CEO of the Hospital, Dr Shahid Shafi, and the Dean of the Medical College, Dr Adil Haider, was established to lead AKU’s flood response working with our partners in the government and non-governmental institutions in various parts of Sindh and Balochistan, particularly in areas of AKU’s existing surveillance and research sites.
The University's robust infrastructure, clinical expertise, and applicable research enabled the setup of 1,340 mobile and static health camps that served approximately 430,000 people, including expecting mothers and unvaccinated children in different parts of the country.
Following the emergency medical relief response, which lasted almost two months – the waters receded.
Recognizing the inevitability of future natural disasters, AKU initiated immediate and long-term plans to build resilience within the system. This included responding to broader issues of malnutrition and mental health, strengthening emergency and trauma response, and building capacity among healthcare workers at the special request of the Provincial Minister of Sindh for Health, Dr Azra Pechuho.
A multidisciplinary group of clinical experts worked together to devise solutions that could be applied in real-life settings in Sanghar, an agricultural town in Sindh, home to AKU’s existing surveillance neighborhood and field site to the University’s impactful, five-year Umeed-e-Nau project that delivers proven interventions to improve the quality of maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health.
“I’ve been associated with AKU for the past 14 years, during two natural disasters, and it has time and again provided top quality emergency medical relief,” informed Asif Soomro, Manager Research, District Sanghar. “During the floods, our Sanghar field site installed 37 mobile and static health camps. Through the site, we also built an emergency referral point for laboring mothers where 359 deliveries took place in just three months and trained multiple LHWs, LHS, and nurses in various MNCH interventions,” he added.
From an application perspective, Sanghar serves not only as the first testing site to expand such a one-of-a-kind integrated disaster response project but also does so while leveraging AKU’s existing stakeholder relationships in the district.
After multiple site visits, a model for large-scale capacity building was developed within the parameters of a deeper understanding of, and with, people on the ground. To benefit from international expertise, a team of four MPH student volunteers from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health was invited to contribute to the development of a contextually relevant 11-page manual over three weeks in consultation with experienced lady healthcare workers and supervisors, general physicians and nurses, and administrators from clinical and non-clinal backgrounds.
This intervention’s core is testing its feasibility in different parts of Pakistan. It is currently being piloted in Sanghar and Dadu districts to establish a capacity-building system through observation and feedback that can be scaled up in other parts of the country within the next three years.
In an interview, Ali Muhammad Junejo, Surgeon at the Civil Hospital Sanghar, acknowledged the need for timely support in the crippling healthcare fabric of the district, “In LMICs, health is frequently neglected, leading to limited availability of resources and expertise. Thus, AKU’s contribution by scaling up resource delivery has been nothing short of a blessing.”
AKU's Integrated Disaster Response Programme has proven to be one of many locally relevant solutions that leverage the university's research infrastructure and clinical expertise; applying core competencies and expertise to unique situations for upscaling delivery and supporting vulnerable communities.
The efforts of AKU and its collaborators, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others, exemplify a commitment to making a positive impact in the face of adversity, improving the lives of those affected by natural disasters in Pakistan, and working towards more effective disaster prevention, mitigation, and management.
Watch AKU’s response to the catastrophic floods in collaboration with the government and other stakeholders.
Prone to natural disasters, Pakistan has, over the years, been at the center of the shifting narrative on climate change and its disproportionate effects on developing countries. In its history, Pakistan’s monsoon season has produced at least 20 major floods, with the most recent one adversely affecting almost 15% of the country’s population.
The Aga Khan University has been actively responding to such disasters, acknowledging the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnera
ble countries like Pakistan. Despite reduced international presence in recent times, local support, including that from within AKU's community, has proven instrumental in filling the void.
“Building upon our significant institutional capacity to address large-scale public health issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, AKU once again played a critical role in creating a rapid response to last year’s devastating floods. Within 48 hours, our first set of medical camps were operational. Over two months, we set up almost 1200 camps that delivered care to over 400,000 flood victims. Our expansive research infrastructure across Pakistan was critical for our rapid response,” said Mustafa Hassan, Director of Shared Research Services and Member, Integrated Disaster Response Programme.
As the floods continued to wreak havoc within the country, a Flood Task Force, led by then CEO of the Hospital, Dr Shahid Shafi, and the Dean of the Medical College, Dr Adil Haider, was established to lead AKU’s flood response working with our partners in the government and non-governmental institutions in various parts of Sindh and Balochistan, particularly in areas of AKU’s existing surveillance and research sites.
The University's robust infrastructure, clinical expertise, and applicable research enabled the setup of 1,340 mobile and static health camps that served approximately 430,000 people, including expecting mothers and unvaccinated children in different parts of the country.
Following the emergency medical relief response, which lasted almost two months – the waters receded.
Recognizing the inevitability of future natural disasters, AKU initiated immediate and long-term plans to build resilience within the system. This included responding to broader issues of malnutrition and mental health, strengthening emergency and trauma response, and building capacity among healthcare workers at the special request of the Provincial Minister of Sindh for Health, Dr Azra Pechuho.
A multidisciplinary group of clinical experts worked together to devise solutions that could be applied in real-life settings in Sanghar, an agricultural town in Sindh, home to AKU’s existing surveillance neighborhood and field site to the University’s impactful, five-year Umeed-e-Nau project that delivers proven interventions to improve the quality of maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health.
“I’ve been associated with AKU for the past 14 years, during two natural disasters, and it has time and again provided top quality emergency medical relief,” informed Asif Soomro, Manager Research, District Sanghar. “During the floods, our Sanghar field site installed 37 mobile and static health camps. Through the site, we also built an emergency referral point for laboring mothers where 359 deliveries took place in just three months and trained multiple LHWs, LHS, and nurses in various MNCH interventions,” he added.
From an application perspective, Sanghar serves not only as the first testing site to expand such a one-of-a-kind integrated disaster response project but also does so while leveraging AKU’s existing stakeholder relationships in the district.
After multiple site visits, a model for large-scale capacity building was developed within the parameters of a deeper understanding of, and with, people on the ground. To benefit from international expertise, a team of four MPH student volunteers from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health was invited to contribute to the development of a contextually relevant 11-page manual over three weeks in consultation with experienced lady healthcare workers and supervisors, general physicians and nurses, and administrators from clinical and non-clinal backgrounds.
This intervention’s core is testing its feasibility in different parts of Pakistan. It is currently being piloted in Sanghar and Dadu districts to establish a capacity-building system through observation and feedback that can be scaled up in other parts of the country within the next three years.
In an interview, Ali Muhammad Junejo, Surgeon at the Civil Hospital Sanghar, acknowledged the need for timely support in the crippling healthcare fabric of the district, “In LMICs, health is frequently neglected, leading to limited availability of resources and expertise. Thus, AKU’s contribution by scaling up resource delivery has been nothing short of a blessing.”
AKU's Integrated Disaster Response Programme has proven to be one of many locally relevant solutions that leverage the university's research infrastructure and clinical expertise; applying core competencies and expertise to unique situations for upscaling delivery and supporting vulnerable communities.
The efforts of AKU and its collaborators, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others, exemplify a commitment to making a positive impact in the face of adversity, improving the lives of those affected by natural disasters in Pakistan, and working towards more effective disaster prevention, mitigation, and management.
Watch AKU’s response to the catastrophic floods in collaboration with the government and other stakeholders.