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Pregnant women in Nepal in dire need of emergency care, says IPPF
International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) regional director for the South Asia region, Anjali Sen, has said the federationâs partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is aimed at strengthening its efforts to provide critical sexual and reproductive care and services for women and girls in Nepal in a timely and effective manner
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nternational Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) regional director for the South Asia region, Anjali Sen, has said the federation's partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is aimed at strengthening its efforts to provide critical sexual and reproductive care and services for women and girls in Nepal in a timely and effective manner.
'Our endeavor is to reach people with specialized needs especially pregnant women who are in dire need of emergency care. Our member association, the Family Planning Association of Nepal, has rallied around its staff and resources to respond to this emergency," Sen said.
The UNFPA and IPPF through its SPRINT initiative and the Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN) are organizing mobile medical camps in earthquake-affected areas of Nepal to provide critical sexual and reproductive health services (SRH) along with general health services.
"The IPPF through its SPRINT initiative is implementing the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health to ensure that no one is left behind in receiving the care they need," said IPPF's global emergency response manager, Aditi Ghosh, who is also SPRINT and field coordinator of the Nepal Emergency Response.
"At the mobile medical camps, while providing general health care and services, we have in just the early days of this crisis evacuated and referred 16 women in various stages of pregnancy needing emergency obstetric care to different referral sites, including the Israeli medical camp," said Abhijeet Pathak, IPPF SARO's medical and abortion program specialist overseeing the coordination of the mobile medical camps.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake has claimed more than 7,000 lives and more than 14,000 people have been injured, many seriously. The impending monsoon is compounding fears of further devastation among the affected population. The need for crucial lifesaving medical care, including sexual and reproductive health and services, will continue well into the future. The specialized healthcare needs of pregnant women and lactating mothers, provision for safe delivery, protecting girls from unintended pregnancies and menstrual hygiene for young girls remain serious issues that the UNFPA-IPPF/FPAN partnership will continue to address.
"So many parts of the country are devastated and it's encouraging to see that the affected communities themselves want to participate in the response -- we must engage women, girls and young people in the services we're providing," said Priya Marwah, the humanitarian response coordinator from the UNFPA's Asia-Pacific regional office. (ebf)(++++)
