New York/Geneva, Feb. 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive well being company, is working with nationwide and native authorities to scale up its emergency response to achieve ladies and ladies impacted by two highly effective earthquakes that struck south-eastern Türkiye close to the Syrian border on Monday. Hundreds of individuals have died and lots of extra have been injured, with the numbers anticipated to rise within the coming days and weeks. Each the Governments of Türkiye and Syria have declared nationwide emergencies and known as for worldwide help.
At the very least 15 million individuals in Türkiye and greater than 7 million throughout Syria have been impacted by the quakes together with 1000’s of pregnant ladies who want entry to maternal well being companies.
“UNFPA is dedicated to help the individuals of Türkiye and Syria affected by the earthquakes, together with the pregnant ladies who’re anticipated to present delivery within the coming weeks beneath these tough situations,” stated Dr. Natalia Kanem, Government Director, UNFPA. “Their capability to entry high quality care earlier than, throughout and after supply should not be an afterthought.”
Hundreds of buildings, together with UNFPA-supported maternity services, youth centres and ladies’s and ladies’ secure areas, have collapsed or been severely broken. UNFPA’s speedy precedence is to re-establish companies which might be important to the well being, well-being and safety of ladies and ladies.
UNFPA has workplaces and operations within the affected areas and was instantly on the bottom assessing the impacts and making ready to help the emergency response in coordination with the authorities and companions, with extra personnel on standby for deployment.
Regardless of logistical challenges, UNFPA has already began delivering reproductive well being companies to earthquake survivors by present supply factors in Türkiye and can also be distributing dignity kits, containing primary hygiene gadgets.
In Syria, blankets and heat garments along with dignity kits are being supplied to ladies and ladies in want. Cellular well being groups and area clinics have been deployed to supply reproductive well being and safety companies to affected individuals within the 4 worst-hit governorates, the place ladies and ladies’ secure areas will even be established. The supply of money funds, which guarantee ladies and ladies can entry well being companies and knowledge, together with for gender-based violence prevention and response, will probably be quickly assessed and supplied based mostly on funding availability.
Prepositioned life-saving reproductive well being provides, together with medicines to handle obstetric emergencies, will probably be distributed in affected areas this week.
“The lives of so many individuals have been torn aside,” stated Dr. Kanem. “Amidst the devastation and uncertainty that pure disasters deliver, UNFPA will proceed to do what is required and what it does finest: reply to ladies’s and ladies’ emergency healthcare and safety wants.”
About UNFPA
UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive well being company. UNFPA’s mission is to ship a world the place each being pregnant is needed, each childbirth is secure and each younger individual’s potential is fulfilled. UNFPA requires the conclusion of reproductive rights for all and helps entry to a variety of sexual and reproductive well being companies, together with voluntary household planning, high quality maternal well being care and complete sexuality schooling.
CONTACT: Eddie Wright UNFPA +1 917 831 2074 [email protected]
