Over half million births expected among flood-affected women in Pakistan: UN

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over half a million flood- affected women in Pakistan are expected to give birth in the coming six months, said a UN spokesman here Tuesday.

"One month after the gradual onset of the devastating floods, reproductive health remains a significant concern across Pakistan' s flooded areas," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said here at a daily news briefing.

After conducting assessments of maternal, neonatal and child health, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has established labor rooms in selected areas, Nesirky told reporters.

UNFPA teams have assisted in approximately 5,600 safe deliveries so far, Nesirky said.

According to a press release Tuesday by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNFPA, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and WHO are participating in the National Steering Committee on the health response to the floods, which is chaired by Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Pakistan's floods have so far affected an estimated 17.6 million people, 70 percent of whom are estimated to be women and children, said OCHA.

Source: Xinhua