KARACHI, Oct 29: A medical mission from the Commonwealth Secretariat arrived on Friday, which will carry out initial assessment of medical and reconstruction requirements in the quake hit areas of Azad Kashmir and the NWFP.

In addition to the mission, which is led by Dr Dula Desilva, head of the Secretariat’s health section, a team of senior doctors from the UK, Nigeria and Malaysia is also reaching here by Oct 30. This was stated by Dr Munawwar Alam, Adviser to the mission.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Alam, who has also came with the mission from London, said these medical experts, who were being deployed under the Secretariat’s Commonwealth Service Abroad Programme (CSAP) would spend three months in Pakistan.

Members of the team, who have been provided with medical kits, will be deployed by the Ministry of Health in places where they are most needed, he pointed out.

In reply to a question, Dr Alam recalled the statement of Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon, who had said that medical volunteers with wide-ranging expertise from within the commonwealth family would be sent to assist Pakistan in coping with the emergency in the quake hit areas.

“The government of Pakistan has informed us of priority areas where it requires assistance and we will tailor our deployment to fill that need,” Mr McKinnon added.

To another question, he said some doctors had already started working at the district administration medical relief centre in Islamabad while two more batches of doctors would arrive after Eid.

Dr Victor Ayeni, Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat, was personally supervising the operation.

Besides, he said, that Mr Julius Kabere and Mr Jasimuddin, Adviser for Asia, were also in close coordination with Pakistani authorities to respond to needs.