Cash-strapped Nangarhar corona hospital faces imminent closure

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Lack of financial support could force the 50-bed coronavirus hospital in eastern Nangarhar province to shut its door imminently.

Sources said the contract to finance and equip the hospital with HealthNet expired on Monday (December 5) and now the facility lacks any financial support.

Dr. Kehan Noor, chief physician at the 50-bed hospital for isolation and treatment of coronavirus patients and director Abdul Wakil Ziyar, confirmed to Pajhwok the contract with HealthNet ended yesterday. However, they declined to provide much information.

They said all personnel of the hospital had decided they would work voluntarily until the Public Health Department decided whether to close the hospital or find financial support for it.

Nangarhar Public Health Department spokesman Naqibullah Rahimi confirmed to Pajhwok that the hospital was facing financial problems.

He said the department’s leadership had started talks with a number of donors to provide financial support to the coronavirus hospital and solve the problem.

He said if financial support could not be found for the hospital, a similar facility would be activated at the Jalalabad Regional Hospital taking advantage of the available resources.

Pajhwok was unable to get information about the latest number of coronavirus patients in Nangarhar, but a source, without giving details, said positive cases had recently increased again.

Nangarhar residents say the important hospital for treatment of coronavirus patients should not be closed.

Abdul Nasir, a resident of Jalalabad city, told Pajhwok that the provincial Public Health Department should find financial support to keep the hospital functioning.

The hospital was built in 2020 when the epidemic was spreading in Nangarhar and until now it was financed and equipped by the HealthNet agency with the financial support of the World Health Organization.

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