PESHAWAR: The government is yet to fully respond to the health needs of the flood-stricken people in Chitral as the UN agencies and other organisations are waiting for an assessment of the damages caused to the population by recent nashnood,sources said.

Many organisations in UN health cluster are awaiting government`s response to assist the residents affected by flood that hit the Chitral village on Sunday but the health department is yet to get the desired information, sources say.

According to them, the agencies could onlyplaysecondñddle to the government, which needed to lead the heath-related work during natural or man-made calamities.

These agencies also feared out-break of diseases and had conveyed their concern to the government, sources said. Not only in nine high-risk districts, the government needs to put in place a contingency plan already approved and notified with a view to control preventable diseases.

Officials in health department claim that the situation in Chitral is under control.

The health department has issued alert to the district health officers to make immediately contingency plan for prevention and management of diseases during the monsoon season.

The department issued the alert for third time to the districts to get prepared for outbreak of diseases like cholera, typhoid, rabies, etc, which occur in the aftermath of monsoon floods. The circular delivered to DHOs and medical superin-tendents of government hospitals have informed that monsoon rains had already started and immediate measures were required to put brakes on diseases in flood affected areas.

The letter issued from the deputy director health, has warned of action in case the relevant officials fail to fulfill their responsibilities with regard activation of personnel and resources to ensure precautions, especially in high-risl< districts where flash flood are known to bring in its wake, food and waterborne ailments.

It has also directed the DHOs to order their respective focal persons for the Monsoon Contingency Plan-2016 and to activate the district rapid response teams (RRTs).

It asked the health officers to start coordination meetings with district health management teams and linedepartments and devise a joint mechanism to handle the patients.

The RRT should have DHO as focal person while availability of the district surveillance officer, epidemiologist, coordinator of the district health information system, pathologist, laboratory technician, medical specialist, dispensers, ambulances, lady health visitor, midwives and other support staff should also be ensured, it said.

The DHOs have been ordered to identify gaps and weaknesses and make available medical supplies, oral rehydration salts, drips and antibiotics etc and share the same with the directorate-general health office. The respective districts should put in place preparations and planning regarding emergency medicines stock and availability of vaccines, logistics, fuel for vehi-cles, human resources and inform the health department if they required any assistance.

The districts should prepare a duty rota for deployment of fixed and mobile medical teams and information about the facilities be prominently be displayed and circulated among all the health staff in the district as per the contingency plan, the letter said.

`The district focal person should circulate all important contact numbers among the health care providers to ensure coordination and quick response and the people could know about the available facilities.

Sources said the government was also seeking assistance from the World Health Organisation for provision of emergency health kits, to effectively respond to the diarrhoeal outbreak.