Pakistan: Coordination needs to be enhaced to manage disasters, say experts

Experts at a seminar on ‘Role of Academia and Media in Human Disaster Management’ emphasized the importance of formal training and education and use of media in disaster management and humanitarian relief, reported Pakistan Today.

Speaking at the session on media, Dr Zafar Iqbal Qadir, Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority warned that "a holistic approach to pre-empt, mitigate and manage a post-disaster scenario was required as the probability of occurrence of disasters was increasing every year and South Asia was the most vulnerable to natural disasters."

UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Malik Hussain Mubbashar added that "Historically, disaster management in Pakistan revolved around rescue and relief. However, in view of the recent crises of dengue outbreak and adverse drug reaction, paradigm shift from relief to risk management was needed."