Mobile health units bring care to flood-affected communities in Punjab with CERF support

“They didn’t just bring medicine; they brought the hospital to our doorstep” -- Haider, a local farmer from Jhook Dargai village, Pakistan.

Haider is one of the 250,000 people affected by the 2025 monsoon floods in Punjab who have been prioritized by the World Health Organization (WHO) to receive essential health services, as part of the response funded by the OCHA-managed UN Global Emergency Fund (CERF).

Haider and his family were visited by a doctor in one of the mobile health units deployed by WHO in collaboration with the Alkhidmat Health Foundation (AKHF) and the District Government of Jhang. The intervention was designed to bridge the gap for hard-to-reach communities facing mobility and financial barriers, with particular attention to women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.

For farmers like Haider, the medical camps brought new hope.

“The floods took our crops and our savings,” Haider explained. “When my wife, Sakina, and our little daughter, Fatima, began showing signs of extreme fatigue and weakness, I didn’t know where to turn. The local health facilities were inaccessible, and we had no money for transport or private clinics.”

The mobile health teams performed rapid blood testing for Haider and his family – services normally unavailable in such remote areas.

The tests revealed that both Sakina and Fatima were suffering from severe anaemia, a common consequence of the emergency triggered by the floods. They were immediately provided with medical counselling and essential medications, free of charge.

Beyond clinical support, over 300 community members participated in awareness sessions on epidemic prevention and nutrition, while AKHF volunteers continue home visits to reinforce life-saving health messages.

Early financing from CERF allowed Pakistan’s health sector to respond quickly, providing essential services and restoring hope in the wake of the floods. Read more about how CERF is helping communities recover in Pakistan: https://www.emro.who.int/pak/pakistan-news/health-on-wheels-for-flood-affected-communities-in-pakistan.html

Published April 2026.

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