Kandahar’s Ainu Mina hospital has taken delivery of and installed state-of-the-art MRI and X-ray equipment at a cost of 45 million afghanis.

The new equipment was unveiled at the 350-bed hospital on Sunday during a ceremony attended by ministry of public health officials, and provincial officials.

Deputy public health minister, Mawlavi Mohammad Ishaq Sahibzada, said at the ceremony: “An MRI machine, at the cost of 40 million afghanis, and an x-ray machine at the cost of 5 million afghanis, have been purchased and activated by this ministry. The cost of which was paid from the internal budget of the Ministry of Public Health.”

He asked the officials and doctors of this hospital to provide good health services to the people and serve with honesty.

Mawlavi Hayatullah Mubarak, deputy governor of Kandahar, also attended the ceremony and said the installation of MRI and X-ray machines is a good achievement. He said: “Afghans have been severely affected by decades of war. Therefore, along with other sectors, the health sector is also important.”

Mubarak praised the doctors and health workers for their hard work and said: “Security is provided, there is a good environment to work, and people need our services. Therefore, one should make the best use of the opportunities and it is necessary for doctors to continue to treat patients well and fulfill their duties honestly.”

Meanwhile, according to Ministry of Public Health data, Afghans spend on average $500 million a year on medical treatment outside the country.

Two patients died of Congo fever in Abu Ali Sinai Balkhi Hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif city, health officials said.

Reports of an outbreak of Congo fever have been recorded in a number of provinces in the north of the country.

Najibullah Tawana, head of public health of Balkh, announced the death of two people in the meeting of sectorial coordination to prevent and reduce diseases between humans and animals in the province.

“Last week, 10 cases of Congo disease were confirmed in Faryab and Jawzjan and [patients were] transferred to Abu Ali Sina Balkhi seminary hospital, but two of them have died,” said Tawana.
Meanwhile, Mawolavi Mohammad Nasim Abid, the deputy mayor of Mazar-e-Sharif, said that they monitor the cleanliness and compliance of butchers every day, and that animals are slaughtered in slaughterhouses built by this department.

According to him; standard facilities have been established for the slaughter of chickens to prevent the spread of various diseases.

Mawolavi Zabihullah Noorani, the head of Balkh culture and information, also asked the media to inform the people about the prevention of this disease and inform them about the harm of this deadly disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is ready to fully support the health system in Afghanistan and has encouraged fifty of its partners to help provide health services to the country.

“Global partnership plays a key role in helping the Afghan people in the health sector. Also, the World Health Organization is ready to lead the care of the needy in the health sector,” the statement said. 

“The World Health Organization has already encouraged more than 50 partners of this organization to provide health assistance to the people of Afghanistan.”

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health has said that WHO’s assistance is important in Afghanistan, but it is not so extensive that it can permanently remove the country’s health system problems.

Some experts meanwhile also said that while the health problems in the country have increased and people in remote areas and provinces do not have access to health services, it is the responsibility of the international community to direct the majority of humanitarian aid to health services. 

Earlier, WHO said that about 17.6 million people in Afghanistan need health services and more than $188 million dollars is needed to resolve the issue.