KABUL (Pajhwok): The 5th regional police hospital to fight Covid-19 epidemic has been inaugurated in western Herat province to serve Afghan National Police (ANP) and their families in the western zone.
The medical facility will benefit approximately 9,000 Afghan National Police (ANP) personnel and their families in Herat, Farah, Ghor and Badghis provinces, UNDP said.
Opening of the fully equipped, 50-bed (8 ICU for five males and three females, 9 quarantine beds and 33 treatment beds was described as an excellent example of UN Development Programme in Afghanistan, Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Law and Order Trust Fund for Afghanistan (LOTFA) and the donor commitment serving the people of the country.
The hospital was inaugurated by Deputy Minister of Interior Riaz Darmal, Director General of Health Services Brig-General Mohammad Asif Boroumand; Herat police chief Brig. Gen. Ghulam Sanai Stanekzai; Deputy Governor Noor Ahmad Haidari; UNDP Sr. Deputy Resident Representative (Programme), Ms. Surayo Buzurukova, Provincial Council Representative and other officials Military and civilian.
In his opening remarks, Herat Chief of Police, Brigadier General Ghulam Sanai Stanekzai expressed his happiness to see the hospital opening. “I ask our police forces to visit the hospital if you or your family members need medical assistance”, he added.
The hospital is equipped with advanced machines (special diagnostic machines such as 8 ventilators, patient monitors, siring & infusion pumps, ultrasound, DCs shock machine, Lab, x-rays). The hospital is manned by 28 (3 visiting, 25 supports on the call staff) staff comprising doctors and nurses caring for the needs of patients including performing screening, pharmacy and administrative functions. The hospital is also equipped with thousands of medical consumable items and hygienic tools such as soap, hand sanitizers, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and masks.
The deputy minister Darmal in his remarks thanked LOTFA donors for their generous assistance to MoIA. “The LOTFA donors and UNDP have always supported MOIA, especially now during this pandemic the assistance is very timely.”
UNDP’s Senior Deputy Resident Representative for Afghanistan, Surayo Buzurukova stressed the need to ensure the proper usage and maintenance of these medical items and facilities, to support ongoing sustainability and provision of medical support to the ANP for years to come.
She further said that “A good functioning Police is the corner stone for development; a good functioning field hospital, like the one being inaugurated today in Herat, will continue to support the functioning of the Police.”
She also thanked the strong partnerships with the donors in the support of MoIA, and the efforts itself by MoIA and asked the Police to continue protecting themselves, their colleagues and family members from COVID-19, by wearing masks, keeping social distance, and regularly washing hands, so they can protect the population of Afghanistan in the most effective way.
“The Government should provide the best services to the ANP” said Deputy Governor of Herat, Noor Ahmad Heidari. “The COVID-19 hospital is such example, and we’ll also consider the sustainability of the hospital”
The COVID-19 Police Hospital is the fifth regional hospital of its kind established by MoI and equipped by UNDP with funding from LOTFA donors.
Four similar hospitals have already been inaugurated in Jalalabad, Gardez, Mazar, and Kunduz. Two more such hospitals will be opened in Kandahar and Helmand in due course.
UNDP’s support to MoI on COVID-19 response is possible due to the generous support of the LOTFA donor group, consisting of:
- Government of Australia
- European Union
- Government of Canada
- Government of Croatia
- Government of Czech Republic
- Government of Denmark
- Government of Estonia
- Government of Finland
- Government of Germany
- Government of Italy
- Government of Japan
- Government of Netherlands
- Government of New Zealand
- Government of Norway
- Government of Poland
- Government of Republic of Korea
- Government of United Kingdom
- Government of the United States of America
pr/sa/mud
Views: 126
GET IN TOUCH
NEWSLETTER
SUGGEST A STORY
PAJHWOK MOBILE APP