PESHAWAR, March 9: The World Health Organization will provide free drugs to the victims of earthquake-hit areas of Mansehra and Battagram districts, said Dr Quaid Saeed , Peshawar-based emergency medical officer of the world health agency.

We have already given go-ahead for the distribution of drugs, and it will begin within a couple of days, said Dr Quaid. According to him, the decision had been taken after a two-member team of the WHO visited the affected areas last months and conducted a survey concerning the healthcare needs of the people in the affected areas.

Dr Quaid said, besides provision of free drugs to the people through executive district officer, health, the WHO has also planned to impart training to the doctors and health workers in disease early warning system.

The health professionals would be given training in mother and child health and childhood diseases so they could cope with the situation in the event of emergencies.

He said that an integrated health management and monitoring system would also developed. A three-members WHO mission has also extended its support to the health department for devising a plan to cope with natural as well as man-made disasters.

This was stated by the mission while talking to director- general health services, Dr Abdul Jalil here on Tuesday. The mission, included, WHO national emergency medical officer, Dr Najibullah Mujadidi, its consultant Mr Jamshed Qureshi and Peshawar-based emergency medical officer, Dr Quaid Saeed.

The mission on the occasion pointed that NWFP and Fata happened to be disaster-prone and therefore a system was needed to be put in place to deal with emergencies. At present, there was no such system, which could cater to the medical needs of the affectees of the disasters, said the mission.