CARE's front line health care in Pakistan

It’s the clinic's first day in the earthquake hit village and word has spread quickly among the women that a female doctor has come.

"I didn't know women could be doctors," says Ruktaj, who brought her son Muqaddas, 18 months, to be treated for diarrhoea and fever. In this remote, conservative region, treatment from a male doctor is out of the question.

"CARE is working to expand heath care opportunities to women here," says Dr Toqeer. "Being a female doctor allows me to reach women who would otherwise suffer in silence." 

The clinic is an example of CARE's work to improve health care in Pakistan's earthquake-affected areas.

"For women, access to medical care is very limited," observes Dr Toqeer. "Even if they are comfortable seeing a male doctor, they must often travel many miles to the nearest clinic. When available, transport is too expensive, so they walk — sometimes for hours — to receive the most basic, yet lifesaving, help."

Ruktaj is no stranger to this. "If any of my children were sick, even before the earthquake, I would take them to the closest clinic - a six-hour walk away! Now I can be here in just 15 minutes," she says.

Every week the clinic will have both female and male doctors. To fill in gaps, and lighten the doctors' work load, CARE trains community health volunteers to dispense over-the-counter medications and treat minor emergencies.

Volunteer Mohammad Riaz says, "I am available around the clock; people know where to find me. We do everything from handing out aspirin to promoting good hygiene. For serious cases, we can call a doctor to come immediately. This type of treatment was never available to us before."

Ruktaj's moment to see Dr Toqeer has arrived. Listless and thin, little Muqaddas patiently allows himself to be examined.

"It's is a simple case of diarrhoea," Dr Toqeer explains. "It's treated easily, but so many children die unnecessarily from it — mainly through dehydration.  The real issue is information. This child is nearly two years old, yet he is surviving on milk alone, getting no other nutrients. Education is the most important treatment I can give - it will go much further to keeping Ruktaj and her family healthy and safe."

CARE works to educate women to help improve their lives and create a better future for their children. We have established many community-based health clinics in villages across the earthquake zone.

After a massive emergency response that reached more than 75,000 earthquake survivors with lifesaving relief supplies, CARE is now helping almost 200,000 people rebuild their communities’ schools, water systems, health facilities and other vital infrastructure.