Health
Polio vaccine campaign to be rolled out in western provinces
More than one million children are expected to receive polio vaccinations in the fourth round of the current campaign which is set to start on Monday in the western provinces of Afghanistan.
According to public health ministry officials, vaccination teams will go from house-to-house and vaccinate children under the age of five.
“Necessary preparations have been made in Herat and the western area for the implementation of the polio campaign and the necessary training has been given to the employees; approximately 5,000 employees [are involved] in the implementation, monitoring and care of the polio campaign,” said Mohammad Asif Kabir, Herat Deputy Minister of Public Health.
“Our goal in Herat province is [to reach] 710,000 children under the age of five, for whom we have to apply the vaccine, which fortunately we achieved in the previous campaign, and we hope to achieve this in this period as well,” said Abdul Wahid Rahmani, head of the vaccination program in Herat.
The Herat Department of Public Health says that in this province alone, 710,000 children are to be vaccinated against polio, while in Badghis, about 180,000 children will be vaccinated.
“In this round, the campaign targets 180,489 children, and we try not to leave any children out in this campaign,” said Mohammad Asif Qant, Badghis Public Health Director.
Thousands of children will also be reached in Ghor province.
“The campaign will be carried out to all parts of Ghor and from house-to-house, and fortunately there are no obstacles in our way,” said Fazulhaq Farjad, head of the polio vaccine program in Ghor.
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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