Japan and WHO strengthen partnership to improve health care in Afghanistan

A delegation from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan, led by Dr Luo Dapeng, recently visited Japan to discuss strategic directions for the ongoing partnership. The visit coincided with the signing ceremony for a $6.9 million joint project with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which aims to enhance the response capacity for infectious diseases in referral hospitals in Afghanistan.

The joint project, which seeks to address and mitigate the impact of communicable diseases on the people of Afghanistan, is set to benefit more than 76,000 people across the country. The project has a specific focus on two health facilities dedicated to the treatment of infectious diseases: Afghan–Japan Hospital and the National Infectious Disease Hospital, both in Kabul province.

Kiyoshi Amada, Chief Representative of JICA, expressed his optimism for the project’s impact.

“I sincerely hope that this project will keep the people, including mothers, children and others, healthier and save their lives to contribute to human security in Afghanistan.”
The WHO delegation also engaged in a series of meetings with directors of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and Takayoshi Kuromiya, Ambassador of Japan to Afghanistan. The discussions centred on new funding of $500,000 given by Japan to support WHO’s work in Afghanistan.
This funding is dedicated to reducing morbidity and mortality due to communicable diseases among the Afghan population, with a focus on children aged under 5 years.

Dapeng meanwhile highlighted Japan’s pivotal role in supporting the health system in Afghanistan: “Japan has a long history of cooperation in the fight against infectious diseases in Afghanistan. As one of the major partners, Japan has been working with Afghan health professionals to improve health care delivery and to develop Afghanistan’s human resources within the health sector.”