Indus Hospital Champions the Fight Against Gender-Based Violence

The Indus Hospital and Health Network (IHHN) took a formidable stand against gender-based violence by hosting a pivotal event at its Korangi Campus, Karachi. This initiative, part of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, was made possible through the generous support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The event marked the culmination of a series of impactful activities spanning various districts in Sindh and Punjab, including Larkana, Qamber, Dadu, Bahawalpur, Layyah, Muzzafarnagar, as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. These initiatives, encompassing awareness walks, specialized training sessions, and discussions on critical issues like mental health, legal aid, disability awareness, and support for girls’ aspirations, underscored the pivotal role of community engagement and education in addressing gender-based violence (GBV).

The event commenced with a comprehensive kiosk walkthrough, where the IHHN team showcased a spectrum of initiatives, including Mental Health, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH), Malaria, Community Engagement, Telehealth, AIDS, Rehabilitation & Disability, and Women & Girls Friendly Spaces (WGFS).

Mr. Syed Mashhood Rizvi, Executive Director, Communication & Resource Development, Directorate, IHHN, warmly welcomed the attendees, setting the stage for the event.

“Every year in Pakistan over 400,000 households are pushed into poverty just because they cannot afford basic healthcare. 9 million alone were pushed under the poverty line after the flood. At Indus, we would like to think that these are all avoidable deaths; if these people and communities were given the type of support that we were able to galvanize during the floods and during our daily work.

Indus is breaking the cycle of vulnerability; it is the only unique network in the private sector, nonprofit sector which is covering all spectrums of healthcare provisions in Pakistan. We recognize that no government or private sector entity or international body can fulfill the requirements of the needs of the people of Pakistan alone. That is why Indus wishes to partner with anyone and everyone, particularly when it is symbiotic, and our value system is absolutely aligned.”

Addressing the audience directly, Mr. Rizvi went on to say, “There is a catastrophe of health in Pakistan; it is an advanced stage of emergency. There is a crisis of lifestyle which is then creating another burden of disease across the country, an environmental calamity which repeats yearly, it has already swept us off our feet. You are here; you came forward because you made a choice to not to be bystanders and spectators of disaster and to join hands with us so that we can save hundreds of thousands of lives.”

Speaking at the event, Ms. Bayramgul Garabayeva, the UNFPA Head of Office in Sindh, stressed the critical need for united efforts in addressing GBV. A documentary highlighted the tangible impact of the UNFPA-funded project in Sindh’s flood-affected regions.

“IHHN has been one the great partners of UNFPA. It has a great healthcare infrastructure, mobile units, ambulances, healthcare workers, and more, and were able to connect to stranded populations through telemedicine. This innovation and digitalization really help to ensure women in need in flood affected areas can get timely life-saving services in terms of reproductive health, safe deliveries and gender-based violence services. We look forward to learning about ways forward to further combat gender-based violence which is a huge issue.”

The 2022 floods not only resulted in massive destruction of lives, livelihoods, infrastructure, and land but also affected 1.6 million women of reproductive age and left 130,000 pregnant women in need of immediate assistance. It resulted in an immense healthcare void and a huge surge in gender-based violence. To address them, IHHN and UNFPA established a project that caters to all the needs of these communities.

Dr. Mah Talat, Executive Director of the Community Health Directorate, shed light on IHHN’s crucial role in humanitarian settings, particularly in collaboration with UNFPA.

“Today’s event’s theme is changing the story. To do so, we at IHHN are not just giving flood-affected communities medicine to get better; we are treating them in totality. Along with healthcare, we are giving them respect and opportunities to empower themselves so that they can fend for themselves. They can re-enter their community with dignity and support their family.

The outreach of IHHN’s Flood Relief Response includes more than 28 districts reached, 1,407,000 total people benefitted, 4,600 mobile medical camps managed, and 1,000 patients provided mental health and psychosocial support.

We wanted to make sure that patients did not fall victim to further preventable infections, so each camp started with an Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) training session. We made sure that every health camp provider, even those who worked with us for a single day, was trained in IPC so that no infection would be carelessly transferred to another patient. For women nearing deliveries, we arranged mobile buses with antenatal care and delivery facilities.

To reach the communities where our buses could not go, we used tele-midwifery and developed an application with Humwell on a tablet. The midwife would visit women’s homes with all the equipment and material with her and she would link her with a gynecologist. These are just some of IHHN’s mechanisms that come under our Reaching the Unreached initiative.

In the other part of this project, we developed WGFSs which provided women protection, empowerment, and support. We developed a referral pathway for complicated cases. All these women were not just given medicolegal services, but also were protected from stigma surrounding domestic violence and troubled households. We also taught them different skills such as stitching, embroidery, etc.

Over 509,312 women and girls benefited through the GBV project & UNFPA partnership in Sindh and Punjab through the 18 WGFS and all the health camps. District managers were instrumental in making this a reality. The beauty of IHHN’s setup is that it is pan Pakistan; it includes a large number of community workers living in these places.”

Dr. Mah Talat went on to detail IHHN’s ongoing efforts to ensure healthcare access to these vulnerable communities, “The crisis is not over. 1.6 million women of reproductive age were still in catastrophic water-filled areas in 2023. It has been a year and there is still a way to go before reaching full rehabilitation. Our efforts are ongoing in Sindh and Balochistan.

By 2025, IHHN aims to have strengthened the capacity of systems, institutions, and communities to provide high-quality, comprehensive reproductive health information and services, including supplies and essential services to address GBV and harmful practices. It also aims to have strengthened the capacity of critical actors and systems in preparedness, early action, and provision of life-saving interventions that are timely, integrated, conflict & climate-sensitive.”

Distinguished guests included IHHN donors, board members, representatives from UN agencies, government officials, NGOs, and civil society organizations. The gathered guests all participated in a candle lighting ceremony, which symbolized their collective commitment to the cause. The event concluded with a dinner, fostering discussions among the attendees.

The event aimed to drive forward the agenda against GBV. It not only spotlighted IHHN’s work during the UNFPA-funded flood emergency response but also showcased the diverse projects IHHN is implementing across Pakistan. Its success marked a significant stride in raising awareness, cultivating collaborations, and strengthening partnerships in the ongoing battle against GBV.