Waterborne diseases break out in rain-hit Sindh.

KARACHI -- Sindh's displaced communities, who are already stuck in stagnant rainwater, face another challenge of the breakout of diseases and skin infections.

This is because of unhygienic conditions and contaminated water.

Health experts warn of outbreaks of diseases including malaria, dengue, typhoid, diarrhoea and skin infections among children, women and elderly persons.

The helpless, displaced and depressed people complain of lack of immediate health relief and medical camps near them.

'Every second person is sick,' said Khan Muhammad Khaskheli, a resident of Nehal Khan Khorkhani of Khairpur district. 'I see people helpless and mentally disturbed,' he added. 'There is no medical facility for the poor and some of them, who can afford it, are shifting their loved ones to the cities,' he narrated.

Khaskheli said that one of his relatives was in dire need of medical support but had to tolerate excruciating pain the whole night.

'He was shifted to the hospital the next day,' he added.

There are 2,257 health facilities in Sindh and the health authorities claim that only 200 of them are functional because of stagnant water in the buildings.

'All are actually functional as the staff have been ordered to set up camps in the damaged hospitals,' maintained Sindh Health Services Director General Dr Juman Bahooto.

However, the victims negate this claim.

'I do not see people receiving medial relief,' Rabail Siyal, a resident of village Pathan of Larkano district, complained.

'It is just a farce by the government. They cannot provide relief to the people and unfortunately can't accept it either,' he said.

The health experts say that the government was practically unable to handle the prevailing situation.

'No one was ready to face this challenge and our system doesn't have capacity to respond to it,' Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Karachi Chapter's General Secretary Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro commented.

He added that dozens of volunteers as well as independent organisations had set up their medical camps across Sindh. 'It confirms the absence of government machinery,' he said. 'Over 80% of patients were confirmed with malaria because of the presence of mosquitoes,' he added.

Dr Shoro pointed out that the present emergency had exposed the government's primary healthcare system that was already weak.

'The government should call international health organisations to help it as the situation will be out of control in the coming days,' he...