ICRC hands over Chinari basic health unit to Ministry of Health
23-02-2007 News Release
Islamabad (ICRC) – Today in Chinari, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) handed over a completely equipped and fully functioning basic health unit (BHU) to the Ministry of Health of Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The Chinari BHU was established on 30 October 2005 following the powerful earthquake which struck the region, severely affecting health services in the district of Muzaffarabad. The ICRC has been helping the Ministry to run the BHU ever since it was set up. To date, the BHU has treated 27,822 patients in the out-patient dispensary, 1,772 consultations being devoted to mother-and-child health care.
After 16 months of close cooperation in activities ranging from substitution to capacity building, the Ministry is now again able to run the BHU in Chinari without external support. The BHU will continue to supply health care for the population of Chinari and the surrounding villages.
In the coming months, the ICRC will be constructing additional clinical buildings and accommodation for Ministry staff, which it will then donate to the Ministry. These facilities will further enhance community services.
The ICRC still provides the Ministry with support at the Pattika BHU and Dhanni Rural Health Centre in the Neelum Valley.
For further information, please contact:
Carla Haddad, ICRC Geneva, tel +41 22 730 24 05 or +41 79 217 32 26
Raza Hamdani, ICRC Islamabad, tel +92 300 850 56 93 or +92 51 282 47 80
Jean-Philippe Kiehl, Muzaffarabad, tel +92 300 856 04 25 or +92 58810 342 13