By Fidel Rahmati in Khaama Press Online,March 16, 2023
Afghanistan’s acting public health minister Dr Qalandar Ebad departed Kabul on Thursday for a six-day visit to Qatar.
According to the Ministry, Dr Ebad leading a high-ranking delegation, will meet with Qatari authorities to discuss cooperation and investment in the country’s healthcare sector, capacity building for Afghan doctors, and coordinating health services with Qatar.
In a recent interview with Aryana News, the minister of public health said the Ministry would build two hundred health clinics across the country next year.
“Not only have we kept the former hospitals and clinics active, but we have also upgraded the hospitals and built new hospitals at the district and village levels,” said Ebad.
He also said that the maternal mortality rate has decreased compared to last year due to the quality of health services.
The Ministry also initiated a four-day polio campaign program with the collaboration of international partners to eradicate it from the country.
According to a new WHO report published on January 25, 2023, it is predicted that more than 17.6 million people—of whom 53% are children—will need humanitarian health assistance this year, with 5 million of them residing in urban regions and 12.6 million in rural ones.
The availability of healthcare services has been severely limited in rural areas. At the same time, the existing healthcare system has become overburdened due to growing emigration and displacement to urban areas.
In 2023, 28.3 million Afghans, or two-thirds of the country’s total population, will require immediate humanitarian aid, up from 24.3 million in 2022, showing a 16 % increase.
The report said that despite the problematic humanitarian situation that has raised the population’s health risks, the WHO would stay in the country and continue to deliver humanitarian services in cooperation with its health partners.
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistans-acting-public-health-minister-visits-qatar/
