92 tonnes of medicines arrive in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Donated by various organisations, 92 tonnes of vital medicines have arrived in Kabul to treat about 675,000 people, including 400,000 children, with life-threatening but preventable diseases.

Save the Children announced on Wednesday the aid would provide lifesaving treatment for nearly 400,000 children afflicted by endemic childhood illnesses such as respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, acute watery diarrhea and skin diseases.

The organisation’s mobile health teams has treated nearly 69,000 cases of acute respiratory infections in children under the age of 5 in the past three months in eight provinces.

“The 92 tonnes of medicines will be distributed across Save the Children’s 58 static and mobile clinics, which are positioned to reach the most marginalised and underserved communities who live between 15 and 95 kilometres away from public health clinics or hospitals.” the statement explained.

Save the Children Country Director Arshad Malik said: “Too many children in Afghanistan die from easily preventable diseases and illnesses. The arrival of these medicines means that more than 400,000 children will receive potentially lifesaving treatment in some of the most remote areas of the country.”

He commended the various international donors for making the shipment possible. But more funding for Afghanistan is needed to ensure that children in some of the most marginalised and underserved areas of the country have a future.

The medicines, which are worth about US $590,000, were donated by the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA), the European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), Save the Children’s internal Humanitarian Fund, among other organisations.

Earlier, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) hadannounced the European Union had contributed 15 million euros to fight malnutrition and improve water services in Afghanistan.

kk/mud

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