24 August, Kathmandu. After the devastating flood in Bhotekoshi of Rasuwa damaged everything from the road network to the health institutions, it has become a challenge to deliver health services to the affected areas.
The flood swept away three health institutions. Due to the broken roads, there is no easy movement in all places. Medicines have been lost along with the house and the parts of medicines that chronic patients take regularly have also been lost.
Patients with non-communicable diseases such as kidney disease and cancer have to be given regular treatment and medicine continuously.
On top of that, the citizens who lost their relatives in the flood before their eyes are in mental shock. Anxiety, restlessness and psychosocial problems have started appearing in some of them. After the flood, the risk of skin problems and communicable diseases has also increased.
Doctors have said that along with the physical damage in the flood-affected areas, mental health problems are also becoming serious. Doctor of National Trauma Center. According to Dipendra Pandey, fear, terror, anxiety, insomnia and worries about the future are bothering many people in the affected areas.
Dr. who returned from providing health care at the health camp in the flood-affected area. Pandey said mental health issues have not been brought out enough. According to him, counseling is necessary for most of the victims.
All the members of someone's family are lost, someone's wife or husband is lost. Now there is such a situation that why am I the only one to live," he said. "I found that two or three people have even tried to commit suicide in some places."
According to him, the most affected people now have excessive fear, anxiety, sleeplessness, heart palpitations, body tremors and what will happen tomorrow? There is concern.
Now people are very worried about what will happen tomorrow. Problems such as insomnia, fear, and heart palpitations have been observed," said Dr. Pandey said.
Medications of patients who are taking regular mental health medication have also been spilled. However, although it is easy to ask for medication for other chronic diseases, affected people hesitate to ask for medication related to mental health. Pandey has experience.
The patient can say in front of everyone that the asthma medication has leaked. But they cannot say in front of everyone that they are taking medication for mental illness," he said.
He said that it is also a challenge to provide medicines immediately as some mental health medicines cannot be distributed in the camps without medical monitoring and records. Therefore, in the current situation, psychosocial counseling and continuous follow-up are more necessary than medication, he says.
Dr. According to Pandey, it is not possible to provide mental health services to flood affected people only by conducting a health camp once. Continuous psychosocial support and follow-up is necessary for at least 6 months to a year to deal with mental problems after a disaster in the long term.
"Today, mental health problems cannot be solved just by taking health camps and counseling and giving medicine," he said, "Mental counseling should be done on a regular basis." Follow-up is required for at least 6 months or a year.
He said that the psychosocial support provided in the affected areas should be considered as 'first aid' for mental health. After that, Dr. should identify the need and bring the services of psychiatrists and mental health experts to the community. Pandey's suggestion.
The Ministry of Health says - we are sending doctors and medicines
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health Dr. According to Sameer Adhikari, even though the road has been blocked, the supply of medicines and health supplies to the affected areas has not been stopped.
"We are sending medicines and medicinal materials of regular program," said the official, "Materials have been sent to Trishuli by road and beyond by helicopter." Medicines have also been sent by helicopter to various municipalities in Nuwakot and Rasuwa. Materials have also been delivered to the district hospital and other health institutions.
According to him, the roads have started opening temporarily in some places. The main road is also expected to be operational soon. The ministry claims that there is no major problem in the supply of medicines.
There is no problem in medicine supply so far. Regular service medicines for non-communicable diseases have also arrived, said the official.
However, Chanouti is not limited to delivering medicine after the flood. Along with the risk of communicable diseases in the affected areas, regular treatment of chronic patients, mental health and basic hygiene management have become equally important.
The Ministry has mobilized various types of health teams for that purpose. Separate teams have been mobilized for the treatment of communicable and non-communicable diseases, psychosocial counseling, etc.
Officials said that 125 health workers and human resources have been sent to the affected areas only for psychosocial support. The ministry claims that more than 250 health workers have reached the affected areas through medical teams at various stages.
A team of health workers has also been deployed in the holding centers established after the flood as per the need. Some teams are regularly changed and new manpower has been sent.
According to the ministry, the health institutions in the affected areas have gradually started returning to regular service operations. Arrangements have been made to deliver health supplies as per requirement.
However, in order to control diseases that may spread after floods, prevention should be prioritized over treatment. If the housing, drinking water, toilets, sanitation and food management of the affected citizens are poor, there is a risk of spreading not only skin problems, but also waterborne and foodborne diseases and other communicable diseases.
The ministry said that it has mobilized a mechanism to reduce the risk of disease in the affected areas, identify possible infections early and treat them immediately.
Choulagai, who is affiliated with online news, writes a pen on health wit.
