The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting Pakistan’s preparedness for anticipated monsoon floods and potential health emergencies by dispatching over 300,000 essential medical items nationwide. These prepositioned medical supplies will enable rapid response efforts, ensuring timely assistance to vulnerable populations in the event of natural disasters and related health crises.
WHO has dispatched five trucks containing more than 2,400 boxes of essential medicines and medical supplies, strategically distributing these items among health departments in four provinces—Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Punjab—as well as in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The supplies have been prepositioned in alignment with provincial health departments’ contingency plans for the monsoon period from July to October. These preparations aim to considerably enhance response capacity during potential emergencies caused by heavy rains, floods, and associated disease outbreaks.
The prepositioning of these medical items is integral to Pakistan’s Monsoon Contingency Plan 2025, implemented under the coordination and leadership of Pakistan’s Ministry of Health. With support provided by WHO and partners, the contingency plan is designed to deliver emergency health services promptly and effectively, aiming to protect and support approximately 1.3 million at-risk individuals across 33 priority districts in the country.
Dr. Dapeng Luo, WHO Representative in Pakistan, emphasized the significance of these collaborative efforts, stating, “WHO emergency teams are working in close collaboration with Pakistan’s health departments across the country to pre-position medicines and medical items that would allow a rapid response to save lives. We are proud to partner with Pakistan to deliver health for all and build resilience to better adapt and respond to the increasing frequency and severity of climate-related hazards, protecting the most vulnerable.”
Pakistan is highly susceptible to climate-induced natural disasters, ranked as the 8th most affected nation globally by extreme weather events between 2000 and 2019, according to the Global Climate Risk Index 2021. The country faces regular severe weather phenomena, including floods, droughts, heatwaves, and pandemics. Of these, monsoon-triggered flooding remains the most prevalent and damaging, exerting devastating effects on human health, infrastructure, and livelihoods.
