Impact of SRH Services Provided by International Medical Corps

International Medical Corps is providing humanitarian services in Pakistan since 1984. Currently,
International Medical Corps is working in following health facilities i.e THQ Hospital BARA, THQ Hospital
Jamrud, RHC Ali Masjid, BHU Urmar Payan and BHU Phandoo for the” Implementation of Minimum
Initial Service Package (MISP) for Reproductive Health (RH) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. The
program goal is to contribute to the reduction of maternal morbidity and mortality through increased
access to SRH services in the above-mentioned health facilities.

The Impact of SRH services provided by International Medical Corps can be seen as under;

Comparison of RH services year 2018 versus 2019

No. of
ANC PNC No. of FP No. of STIs
deliveries
Health consultations consultations services cases treated
District conducted
Facility

2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019

Civil
Hospital 5117 7266 461 386 2930 3863 1637 11463 354 133
Jamrud
THQ
Khyber
Hospital 3987 3603 377 946 1318 1649 3716 6224 0 43
Dogra
BHU Ali
323 1782 135 487 2 3 56 120 133 40
Masjid
BHU
346 1853 0 139 307 1 130 324 43 9
Phandu
Peshawar BHU
Urmar 336 3212 69 570 0 0 9 341 40 25
Payan
1010
Total 17716 1042 2528 4557 5516 5548 18472 570 250
9

Success Stories:
Success stories reported by Psychologist of International Medical Corps from THQ Hospital BARA and
BHU Ali Masjid are as under;

1) Success Story
Background History:

Miss Bibi (nickname) of age 18 years, the residence of U/C Bara has been referred by the LHV of the THQ
Dogra Hospital Bara for mental health treatment. When the patient was brought to the hospital, she
was diagnosed with a mood disorder. She was very week as she hardly eats solid food, her complexion
was pale and the mood was sad. She was hopeless and it was hard to understand the things. She also
stops going to a madrassa.

Problem/Issue

During the repo building session, the Psychologist gains the trust and she felt safe in sharing her
problems with Psychologist. She shared that her brother is a very difficult person and he was not
agreeing upon the marriage proposal. Due to the high level of stress, she wasn’t able to move and was
laying on the bed all the time. Her parents used to take care of her and feed her in the bed.

International Medical Corps Intervention/support:

A psychologist at the first stage gives her weekly meal checklist which includes breakfast till dinner. The
client used to fill the same and submit the same by the end of the week. The first week she intakes
liquids because of stress, low mood, and less energy. By the second week according to the checklist, she
intakes solid food which was resulting in positive change in her health and body pain was gone. Due to
continuing counseling, her mood was changed positively and she starts smiling and sound sleep.

Stress management sessions were also started with her to make her understand how to manage her
stress using different techniques. Once she started taking solid food, the Psychologist in the next session
put her to take interest in daily base home activities and give her two tasks one is to press the cloths and
second to keep the home clean. She failed to do so in the first week as she did this for two days in the
first week but in the second week, she completed the task without any single day missing, which leads
her body movement starts and she was busy and the sympathetic thoughts were gone out of her mind.

After continues observing her positive change, now its turn of her mother to make her understand how
to deal with her in-home. Her mother was called by the Psychologist and she took one to one sessions
with her and ensure how to handle her in-home. She was counseled that she will be not feed in bed
anymore and she should be involved in daily base home activities and her mother will discuss her issue
with her father and brother in a proper way. As a part of the family session, her sister in law was also
called by the Psychologist as there was some issue between both of them. The psychologist conducts a
session with her sister in law as well and resolved the issue between them.

Impact
After the family session, she is fully recovered and she was thankful to IMC Team to get her back in life
otherwise she has almost decided to suicide. Among all of the family member her mother was most
happy, she thanks to IMC team to bring her daughter into life. She admired the services of the
International Medical Corps in their local Area.

Note: The client does not have the consent to share her Picture due to cultural barrier

2) Success story
Background History:

45 years old with code number BS-19/04 is a resident of Bara. She is a mother of 5 married and
unmarried children.

Problem/Issue:

The client visited International Medical Corps THQ Hospital Bara with an anxiety disorder. She had
anxious feelings all the day, she was complaining of fast heart palpitation, dry mouth, stomach pain,
body aches, disturb sleep, numbness of hands, excessive and unrealistic worries that something will
happen wrong with her family, due to her young son’s aggressive nature who always fight with family
members on pity issues or for no reasons.

IMC Intervention/support:

IMC Psychologist registered her with code BS-19/04 and started taking counseling sessions. She was also
asked to ensure her presence in group awareness sessions. She was found an active listener and regular
participant which helped her to overcome her unrealistic worries and excessive thoughts. In one to one
counseling sessions and group sessions, she learned anger management skills, stress management skills,
she was put on progressive muscular relaxation techniques. She was oriented about adolescent
period/phase and behavior changes. She also learned the care and treatment of adolescent boys and
girls at home.

Impact:

Further added that she has been encouraged by the awareness sessions and one to one counseling
sessions. She made herself confident to tackle son’s aggressive nature and overcome her anxious
feelings. She with a Glowing face and confident voice paid thanks to the International Medical Corps for
helping her. She shared; she has been facing these anxious feelings for the last 4 years but no one had a
solution to her disorder. Her unrealistic worries are no more and she has sound sleep. She and her
family members were highly obliged to IMC. Many women and girls are suffering from anxiety and
depression in this area. She mentioned that people are referring mentally or emotionally disturbed
people to THQ Bara for Mental Health treatment, where they are getting friendly treatment in a
confidential setting.

3) Success Story: “There is Always Hope….”

Rabia (Supposed name) is a 32 years old woman. She is the mother of six daughters and one son. She
visited the RHC Ali Masjid for a routine check-up. She was waiting for a doctor call in the waiting room
where she attended the awareness-raising session (group) for the first time which was conducted by the
Psychologist.

After the session, she visited the psychologist for individual counseling. After the rapport building by the
psychologist with the client, the client shared that: “We were living in the green valley of Terah, Khyber
Agency. I was the eldest daughter of my parents. My father was a laborer on daily wages. When I was 9
years old and was enjoying my childhood, I heard from my parents that I got engaged with a 20 years old
boy who belongs to Afghanistan. My father sold me for PKR. 1Lac. I got married after three months and
moved to Afghanistan from Pakistan. In Afghanistan, I was living in a joint family system and was missing
my parents and siblings but my husband was very caring and loving for me and I adjusted myself with
the new environment. I was doing household chores, used to bring water from water spring and cut the
wood from wood and used to bring it home. After 7 years, when I was the mother of 3 daughters, my in-
laws started searching for a girl for my husband to get marry him and give him a son. It was the hardest
time for me, but my husband assured me that he will not marry any other girl in my presence.

After 14 years when I was the mother of five daughters my husband got Hepatitis ‘C’. At that time, there
were the dark shadows of terrorism which were spread all over the Khyber Agency and we got
displacement from Terah to Jamrud. Due to the unavailability of resources for treating my husband, my
husband died due to chronic Hepatitis ‘C’. My life came under the dark and I felt like I fell in a grave. I
was feeling helpless at what will I do now for my daughters.” Rabia’s face was full of tears and she
started crying. After getting relax she again started narrating her story: “After observing my “Iddat
period” my parents started worrying for me because my brothers-in-law (1 was the real and the other
two were the stepbrothers of my late husband) started fighting with each other to marry me because
they were thinking that my father has sold me to their brother and now I’m their property and they have
the right on me. On another side, my real brother-in-law started to threatening and harassing me. Jirgah
was set who decided that I am the property of my real brother-in-law and my two daughters will get
engaged to the sons of my step brother-in-law. After the decision of Jirgah, I discussed with my real
brother in law who was now my husband that the youngest nephew of my husband is my foster son and
my daughter can’t marry her foster brother. But my brother in law said that my mother will marry him in
any case otherwise I will kill her or she will never marry again. Again, a Jirgah was set, in which it was
decided that we will take Fitwas from scholars.”

She continued: “During this stressful time my second husband started taking Ice (MDMA drug) and
started to neglect both wives and their children. I am worried about my children's future as I have six
daughters and one son now. I feel low especially in the evening time and feels the burden on my
forehead. I can’t sleep well at night. I can’t eat well and feel lethargic. When I hear a loud sound, I got
palpitation and starts trembling.” According to Psychologist “The client was let to narrate her story for
catharsis after rapport building. The client learned relaxation techniques to keep herself relax. The client
also received religious therapy and other cognitive therapeutic approaches were applied. The client was
referred by the “Implementation of MISP for Reproductive health (RH) in KP province” psychologist to
the Zakat committee Chairman for financial assistance. The client was facilitated by the Zakat committee
of Khyber and was provided financial assistance after two months.” According to the client; “I visited the
International Medical Corps (IMC) health team where I got treatment for my physical health problems
and also visited a psychologist.
She quoted ‘’I attended many sessions in which I learned about how to keep myself happy. I improved
my mental health much by positive thinking and practicing relaxation techniques. I pray and pay thanks
to Allah for feeling better and for being hopeful. I learned about Health & Hygiene. I am confident now
and can say that I am the strongest woman and can face any type of challenge. In short, I can fly with
the feathers of hope.”

Note: The client does not have the consent to share her real name and pictures due to the cultural
barrier.