‘Humanitarian crisis if health challenges not addressed’

KABUL (Pajhwok): Deputy minister of public health has expressed concern over non-cooperation of the international community with the Afghan health sector, urging international donors to separate politics from health and continue their assistance in the area.

Addressing a news conference in Kabul today, Abdul Bari Omar, deputy public health minister, said that the international community and international health organizations had politicized health and aid to the sector had been reduced to the lowest level.

He added that little assistance was so far provided by some countries, but the assistance promised by some international health organizations and countries had not yet been provided to the Ministry of Public Health.

"As the government is new, it is not possible to solve all challenges in the health sector in the near future," he added.

He said that the World Bank was paying salaries of the Covid-19 response personnel and health officers in the previous government, but the bank has now suspended the aid.

Omar called on the international community and international health organizations to separate politics from health and continue their assistance to the sector.

Concerns on spreading of Covid-19

The deputy public health minister said that the coronavirus was still threatening the world and that Afghanistan should be prepared to fight the disease in the coming winter, when the fourth wave of Covid-19 may outbreak.

However, he said that the Ministry of Public Health had no sufficient financial resources and equipment to respond to the fourth wave of the virus. The aid for Covid-19 response has totally stopped, he said.

He warned that a humanitarian catastrophe was possible if aid was not provided to check the fourth wave of the virus.

In three months, 58 diseases have been identified, including measles and a vaccination drive to eliminate the disease is underway countrywide, he said.

Malnutrition in children is another threat

Abdul Bari Omarsaid that there were currently 3.2 million malnourished children under the age of five, one million of whom were severely malnourished and the other two million were in moderate condition.

He said that 75,000 children die every year due to various diseases, of which 45,000 are due to malnutrition.

“Aid to help these children continues, but it is not enough, and for that reason, UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Food Program have been asked to increase food distribution for prevention of child deaths”, he said.

Omar said that the previous government had ignored the health sector which he added was the reason of many challenges in the area.

There are currently 1,600 private health centers in the country, but less than 600 of them are registered with the Ministry of Public Health, he said.

"A committee has been created to review all policies and procedures," he said, adding that procedures will be developed the way all people could easily and inexpensively receive health services at private health centers.

He said that the ministry will also provide an online diagnosis and treatment system for patients to reduce costs and provide better services to people in the future.

mds/ma