Cairo/Doha/Kabul/Kathmandu, Delegates from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the State of Qatar, Afghanistan, and other humanitarian partners met to discuss interim health priorities for Afghanistan over the next 18-24 months. During the 3-day high-level meeting, organized in Qatar from 29-31 March, health experts jointly reviewed the current situation and gaps in health service delivery and identified solutions to strengthen the overall service system. The delegates also discussed opportunities to improve health governance and coordination, and collaborations to meet existing and emerging humanitarian needs of children, women and other vulnerable groups.
“We are extremely concerned about the overlapping health threats facing Afghanistan: widespread malnutrition, a surge in measles cases, COVID-19, and the potential for a wave of acute watery diarrhea,” said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean." Working together with our partners on the ground in Afghanistan and thanking the State of Qatar for always being a key partner and supporter of our response, WHO is committed to maintaining and scaling up our life-saving interventions for the people of Afghanistan.”
“Despite progress in the past several years, thousands of Afghan women die every year from pregnancy-related causes and far too many families in Afghanistan are unnecessarily losing their children to preventable causes. During my recent trip to Afghanistan, I saw hospitals overwhelmed with children suffering from treatable illnesses. Parents are exhausted, worried and unable to afford food or medicines,” said George Laryea-Adjei, Regional Director for UNICEF South Asia. “We need to prioritize strengthening health and nutrition services for mothers and children, particularly at community level. I am encouraged by the strong showing of support from our partners. However, there is much left to do to ensure all children in Afghanistan grow up healthy and well nourished.”
“The meeting built on the collaborative partnership the State of Qatar has with WHO, UNICEF and partners which hugely helped fulfil the needs of vital humanitarian programs, tackle COVID-19 and disease outbreaks, and provide critical support to vulnerable communities not just in Afghanistan but around the world;” said Dr Saleh Al-Marri, Assistant to Minister of Health, Qatar. “Since September 2021, the State of Qatar has been providing crucial support to the humanitarian response operations in Afghanistan, delivering life-saving essential medical supplies, including trauma and COVID-19 kits, serving the needs of millions. Ultimately, this timely response is aligned with our humanitarian vision to enhance existing efforts and contribute to universal health coverage (UHC) and addressing global health challenges.”
“Despite efforts of WHO, UNICEF and humanitarian partners delivering health services in Afghanistan, there are still about a thousand health facilities without any support and about 10 million Afghans living in areas without access to health services”, says Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative in Afghanistan. “We need urgent support to continue to save lives -- every day of delay could mean a mother dying from childbirth, a child getting sick from preventable disease or a family losing a breadwinner from a treatable ailment.”
This year, nearly 25 million people require humanitarian assistance, with an estimated 18.1 million needing urgent health services. The country’s health system also functions only partially– putting at risk the very substantial health gains of the past 20 years.
Source: Ministry of Public Health