Report on Training in Pakistan
Professor Mumtaz Hussan, President Elect of the Pakistan
Pediatric Association, with Karen Olness, Pulsuk Siripul,
Elisabeth Emerson and Srivieng Pairojkul.
Pulsuk Siripul and Marisa Herran leading
a worshop in Islamabad.
Participants in Islamabad enjoy a fun moment.
Karen Olness, Pulsuk Siripul and Srivieng
Pairojkul with Pakistani colleagues.
Following the devastating earthquake which occurred in Pakistan in 2005, the Pakistan Pediatric Association (PPA) requested assistance from the International Pediatric Association (IPA) and American and Thai colleagues to provide training in humanitarian disasters to child health workers in their country. From January 23 to February 7, 2006, an all-volunteer team of nine child health specialists from the United States and Thailand joined Pakistani pediatricians in Peshawar and Islamabad to conduct a series of training courses on the special needs of children impacted by the Pakistan earthquake.
Two training courses were done in each of the cities: a five day problem-based course on "Management of Humanitarian Emergencies: Focus on Children”, and a two day course focusing on the long-term psychosocial impact of the earthquake on children. The participants included health care providers and other professionals who work with children impacted by the Pakistan earthquake. There were 100 participants trained, some of whom attended more than one workshop. Evaluations were excellent and follow-up is planned to replicate the training.
Participating faculty
Volunteer faculty members from outside Pakistan included: Dr. Karen Olness and Dr. Marisa Herran (Rainbow Center for Global Child Health and Case Western Reserve University); Dr. Srivieng Pairojkul and Dr. Pulsuk Siripul (Khon Kaen University, Thailand); Dr. Burris Duncan (University of Arizona: Tucson); Dr. Ed Keenan (Pediatrician, Boston, Past President AAP); Dr. Cliff O’Callahan ( University of Connecticut); Dr. Elisabeth Emerson (former WHO staff); and Dr. Johnny Chinnapha (Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand).
Pakistani faculty members in Peshawar included: Dr. Iftikhar, Dr. Gohar Rehman, Dr. Tufail Muhammad, Ms. Saima Muhammad, Dr. Mohammed Arif Khan, and Dr. Muhammad Zaheen .
In addition, Prof. Mumtaz Hassan, Dr. Ghulam Saqulain, and Dr. Mohammed Arif Khan taught in the Islamabad workshops. Dr. Sardar ul Mulk, former Director General for Health, Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, presented a talk on “Goiterstan-the problems of iodine deficiency in the NWP”.
Sponsors
Training Sponsors included the Pakistan Pediatric Association, International Pediatric Association, UNICEF, American Academy of Pediatrics, Health Frontiers, Rainbow Center for Global Child Health, Khon Kaen University (Thailand), and Case Western Reserve University.
Viewing the impact firsthand
Pakistani hosts went to great lengths to make it possible for the foreign faculty to visit three of the earthquake stricken areas (Battagram, Battal, and Muzaraffabad) and one of the refugee camps near Islamabad. Faculty were impressed by the new pediatric hospital (10 beds) built and staffed by the Pakistan Pediatric Association in Battal. The refugee camp near Islamabad, planned for closure in April, is a beautiful example of ideal provisions for refugees. This includes housing, food, playgrounds for children, a hospital, clinics, and schools.
Dr. Ejaz Ahmad, a Kashmiri pediatrician who was in Muzaraffabad at the time the earthquake struck, took Drs. Herran, Duncan, and Olness to this epicenter. They visited the temporary pediatric ward, including a neonatal unit and walked through a large area of complete devastation in the city.
Training in Humanitarian Emergencies
The American, Thai and Pakistani members of the faculty who conducted these trainings are all former teachers or participants in the volunteer training course on the special needs of children in disasters, “Management of Disasters: Focus on Children and Families", which Health Frontiers helped to launch a decade ago. This course continues to be conducted annually at Case Western Reserve University (CASE) in the United States, and has been replicated in several countries including Pakistan. For more information on this course visit http://cme.case.edu.
Remember, all of the above people are volunteers, and Health Frontiers charges no overhead. For further information, please contact Karen Olness or Hakon Torjesen of Health Frontiers at karen.olness@case.edu, or phone 507-789-6725.
Please send your contributions to Health Frontiers at 44500 66th Avenue Way, Kenyon, Minnesota 55946 USA.
Many thanks!