Health
Afghanistan strengthens healthcare system through collaborations with UNDP and UNFPA
Among those who Jalali met with were Stephen Rodriques, UNDP representative to Afghanistan, and Koffi Kwabena Asante, the UNFPA representative to Afghanistan.
In a series of high-level meetings Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has engaged with key international partners in a bid to bolster Afghanistan’s healthcare infrastructure.
Among those who Jalali met with were Stephen Rodriques, United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) representative to Afghanistan, and Koffi Kwabena Asante, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative to Afghanistan.
Discussions between them highlighted the importance of collaborative efforts to address the country’s most pressing health challenges and ensure long-term, sustainable improvements.
The first meeting with Rodriques focused on the deployment of solar energy solutions to power healthcare centers across Afghanistan, particularly in remote and underserved areas.
Both parties explored the criteria for selecting appropriate sites for these solar-powered initiatives, underscoring the critical role of renewable energy in enhancing healthcare access.
The dialogue also covered integrated approaches to combat endemic diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS.
Jalali emphasized the importance of effective disease control, which, he noted, requires precise coordination and operational transparency to ensure impactful service delivery.
In response, Rodriques reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to maintaining transparency and accountability in its interventions, pledging continued support for strengthening Afghanistan’s healthcare system.
The second round of discussions with UNFPA representatives Koffi Kwabena Asante and Andrew Saberton revolved around revitalizing the Afghan health sector, securing sustained financial support, and optimizing aid management.
Jalali stressed the need for a strategic overhaul of resource allocation to optimize international assistance and align efforts with national health priorities.
The discussions also delved into transitioning mobile health teams into permanent centers to expand healthcare access, as well as enhancing service delivery in line with the ministry’s health policy.
Jalali reiterated the importance of transparency in resource management to ensure the efficacy and sustainability of healthcare services.
Saberton commended the Afghan government’s commitment to these principles and assured that UNFPA would continue to provide vital resources to improve health outcomes in Afghanistan.
Both meetings highlighted the shared vision of fostering greater transparency, accountability, and long-term sustainability in Afghanistan’s healthcare system.
Through strategic collaborations with UNDP and UNFPA, Jalali aims to drive impactful reforms that will improve healthcare access and outcomes across the country.
The commitment of both organizations to supporting Afghanistan’s healthcare sector underscores the importance of international partnerships in tackling complex health challenges and ensuring the well-being of the Afghan people.
Since the launch of the new Afghan visa module in April 2025, more than 500 visas, including over 200 medical visas, have been issued in the last four months, Indian media reported citing a senior Health Ministry official on Thursday.
India has also approved and implemented several key healthcare infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, including the construction of five maternity and health clinics in the provinces of Paktia, Khost and Paktika, a 30-bed hospital in Kabul, and the construction or upgradation of major facilities such as an Oncology Centre, Trauma Centre, Diagnostic Centre and Thalassemia Centre in Kabul, The Hindu newspaper reported. Additional proposals for health sector support are currently under active consideration.
On Thursday, India reaffirmed its continued commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s health sector and humanitarian needs during a meeting held between Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda and Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health Noor Jalal Jalali.
During the meeting, both sides reviewed ongoing health cooperation and discussed avenues to further strengthen collaboration in healthcare infrastructure, medical supplies and capacity building.
The Union Minister underlined that guided by India’s long-standing people-centric approach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always emphasised that India’s engagement with Afghanistan should remain focused on welfare, capacity building and access to critical healthcare services.
Nadda added that India’s assistance to Afghanistan remains guided by humanitarian considerations and the long-standing bonds between the peoples of the two countries.
“India has supplied 327 tonnes of medicines and vaccines to Afghanistan over the past four years. Cancer medicines and one CT scan machine, as requested by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, are ready for dispatch and will be delivered by the end of this month. Proposals from the Afghan side for a radiotherapy machine and additional medical supplies are also being processed,” he said.
The meeting also discussed capacity-building initiatives. India is working on modalities to send a team of senior Indian doctors to Afghanistan to organise a medical camp and provide training to Afghan doctors.
“At the meeting, India has reiterated its commitment to providing free treatment in India to Afghan patients suffering from emergency and serious ailments, and to facilitating medical visas,” said an Indian Health Ministry official.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, Noor Jalal Jalali, has called for India’s cooperation in the standardization and development of traditional medicine during a meeting with India’s Minister for Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH), Prataprao Jadhav.
The meeting focused on establishing a traditional medicine institute and a research center in Kabul, cooperation in training qualified professionals, and the signing of a bilateral memorandum of understanding. Minister Jalali stressed that standardizing traditional medicine is a pressing priority for Afghanistan and noted that India’s extensive expertise in this field would be highly beneficial.
For his part, the AYUSH minister reaffirmed India’s commitment to supporting Afghanistan by assisting in the establishment of a research center and institute in Kabul, developing and implementing academic curricula, and expanding cooperation across various areas related to traditional medicine.
Noor Jalal Jalali, Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan, held a meeting in Kabul with representatives of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and other international organizations.
According to the ministry’s statement, representatives of these international organizations discussed the delivery of health and development services, improving the management of aid and resources in the health sector, integrating health facilities and aligning them with the new policy, providing health services in accordance with the Ministry of Public Health’s policy, strengthening the immunization and vaccination sector, delivering services based on priorities, and ensuring sustained coordination.
During the meeting, Jalali stressed the need for transparency and attention to the ministry’s priorities in order to enhance the effectiveness and impact of health services. He added that the delivery of health services must be carried out in line with the ministry’s policy and through better management of existing international assistance.
Referring to vaccination campaigns, he stated that the recent measles and polio vaccination campaign had been implemented very successfully, and emphasized that necessary preparations should be made for upcoming campaigns.
He also provided information regarding the review of the BPHS and EPHS health packages and the establishment of a standardized system through technical committees.
In this meeting, Edwin Ceniza, the WHO Representative for Afghanistan, reaffirmed the organization’s continued cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and expressed appreciation to the ministry’s leadership for their tireless efforts to improve the health system.
Representatives of these organizations pledged to maintain effective and sustained coordination and to provide their services within the country in accordance with the policies and principles of the Ministry of Public Health.
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