ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: Federal Social Welfare and Special Education Minister, Zobaida Jalal on Friday said the government was taking every possible measure to increase the production of artificial limbs as, she said, the earthquake had left a record number of children physically handicapped.

Briefing media persons on Friday, she said that at present only three facilities in the country were producing artificial limbs, which, by no means, was sufficient to meet the demand, she said.

“At the moment, we are only assessing the situation to ascertain that at what level the ministry needs to mobolize its resources to meet the ‘crisis-like’ situation,” the minister said.

In this regard, the ministry was already in contact with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to seek its help in producing artificial body parts at large scale, Ms Jalal said.

Soon after the tragic day, the ministry sent three teams comprising doctors, physicians and scouts to the affected areas to provide immediate relief. “Around 500 special scouts were first to reach Ghari Habibullah,” the minister said.

The ministry has sent 20 social welfare officers to Abbotabad to set up social welfare centres, and 19 camps have already started working in Muzaffarabad city.

Clean drinking water and sanitation for women and children were the most challenging tasks, and the ministry had asked Unicef to provide special tent latrines for the purpose,” she said.

Stress and trauma management of child patients is also one of the ministry’s concerns for which it would invite specialists from abroad to train local teams, she said.

For young and educated people in the disaster-hit areas, the ministry was planning to start vocational training institutes at the proposed tent cities, she said.

Managing Director, Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, Brigadier (R) Muhammad Sarfraz who was also present on the occasion said that relief teams of PBM had already reached the earthquake affected areas, and performing their duties.

He said that PBM allocated an amount of Rs100 Million for relief operations and so far Rs64.448 Million had been given to 3,697 families.

Talking about the details of the money so far released by the PBM, he said, in Azad Kashmir, Rs20 million have been spent in Muzaffarabad, Rs18.50 in Bagh and Rs9.10 million in Rawlakot while in NWFP Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal has spent Rs3.5 million in Abbottabad, Rs3.163 million in Batgram, Rs2.5 million in Kohistan, Rs3.5 million in Mansehra, Rs1.2 million in Shangla Par, Rs2 million in Swat and Rs0.985 million in Peshawar.

MD PBM said that steps were being under consideration for rearing and educating those children who survived in this devastation and were now destitute.

Rescue teams of PBM are also distributing different domestic items produced by handicrafts schools of the organization.

APP adds: Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education, Zobaida Jalal said, Pakistan Bait- ul-Mal (PBM) would establish 19 vocational and 19 primary schools for the earthquake victims.

The minister said the teachers of these institutes would be appointed from earthquake areas and one psychologist would also be appointed to treat mentally disturbed children.