KABUL (Pajhwok): The director of the Rabia Balkhi Hospital in Kabul has hailed her appointment by the caretaker government as a positive step, promising to work efficiently.
The Ministry of Public Health recently appointed Dr. Simeen Mushkin Mohmand as director of the Rabia Balkhi Hospital. She has worked in obstetrics and gynecology departments for more than 25 years.
She completed her higher education in obstetrics and gynecology at Kabul Medical University. She has served at various health centers inside and outside the country since 1996.
In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Mohmand said: “I joined the medical community in 1996. I have also worked in obstetrics and gynecology sections at the Malalai Hospital for some time.”
She said: “After last year’s political change, I migrated to Pakistan and started working at a hospital in Karachi. But later, I came back to Afghanistan and worked for different medical facilities.”
Dr. Mushkin Mohmand, who has spent more than two decades serving in obstetrics and gynecology departments, called the evacuation of pregnant women to health centres a huge challenge and one of the main causes of maternal deaths.
Referring to her appointment, she said: “I see this as positive step, not because they have chosen me, but because they have taken a key step towards women’s welfare.”
She explained: “I have inherited the challenges being faced by this hospital. Efforts to deal with these challenges, initiated years ago, are ongoing.”
The hospital director commented: “Everyone complains about the lack of discipline. I ask the leadership of the ministry to support me in bringing order to hospital affairs.”
Currently, 70 to 80 childbirths take place daily at this public-sector hospital. But at times, more than 100 babies are born in a single night. It is a challenge to hospital staff, according to Mohmand.
Most families do not take their patients to hospital on time, which causes serious problems for hospital staff. As a result, she said, the patient’s condition also worsened.
“The main challenge facing our people is that some expectant mothers don’t go to the doctor. They are not aware of disorders such as anemia, and high blood pressure,” she continued.
At present, there are no obstetrics and gynecology centres in remote areas, especially in some districts of Badakhshan province, where people have to cover a long distance transferring their patients to health facilities.
She urged the government to establish health centers in far-flung areas.
Dr. Mushkin Momand, happy with continued international aid for the health sector after the political change, urged increased assistance.
sa/mud
