Health
Hundreds of women died in childbirth in past year: health ministry
Nearly 600 mothers died while giving birth in the past year, the Ministry of Public Health said on Wednesday, adding however that the maternal mortality rate was lower than the previous year.
Health Minister Qalandar Ebad said one million births took place over the past year, of which 584 births involved the death of the mothers.
He said that a large maternity institute will be established in a bid to lessen the mortality rate.
Currently, there are only two maternity hospitals in Kabul.
“I have come to this hospital from a private hospital and doctors have helped me well,” said Khori Gul, a patient at Rabia Balkhi Maternity Hospital.
“My child was born normally in this hospital and I thank the doctors for their efforts,” said Sarina, another patient.
Medics say high blood pressure, unhealthy foods, a shortage of midwives and bad traditions are the key reasons for the high maternal mortality rate in the country.
Concerns have been raised by health professionals that Afghanistan faces a serious risk of backtracking to its high maternal mortality rates of 20 years ago given the major drop in foreign funding, the shortage of healthcare workers and worsening poverty.
According to World Bank data, more than 1,600 Afghan mothers were dying for every 100,000 live births in 2001.
With strong technical and financial support from donors, the country reduced the rate to about 640 deaths by 2018.
Until the collapse of the former government, foreign donors were spending about $1 billion annually on Afghanistan’s health sector, but all development funding ceased in August, which crippled the country’s donor-dependent public health system.
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.
Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister for Health Services at the Ministry of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has departed for Turkey on an official visit accompanied by a high-ranking delegation.
According to a statement released by the Health Ministry on Wednesday, the trip aims to acquire new health-sector expertise, assess Turkish medical and scientific institutions, meet with Turkish health and government officials, and strengthen bilateral cooperation.
During the visit, the delegation is scheduled to meet representatives from both public and private health sectors to support improvements in Afghanistan’s healthcare system and enhance coordination between the two countries, the statement added.
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