Tackling COVID-19 in Afghanistan with international aid

One of the greatest challenges Afghanistan faces in its fight against the Coronavirus pandemic is the overwhelming demand placed on its fragile health system. 

But since April, the Ministry of Public Health has signed into action the $100 million World Bank-supported COVID-19 emergency response grant for the Afghanistan COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project.  

In line with this, the Afghan government has been able to create 1,300 intensive care unit beds and care better for up to 10,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

In a World Bank report, by Doctors Fraidoon Farzad and Ahmad Wali Rasekh – both from the Public Health Ministry – they said the Afghan government has been able to support infected individuals, at-risk people, medical and emergency personnel, service providers and medical and testing facilities. 

They said this project is well underway with the collaboration of several stakeholders, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) which flew in emergency health supplies in June, including single-use medical supplies for intensive care units (ICUs), X-ray and laboratory reagents, and 150,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits for more than 6,800 frontline health care providers. 

“These supplies have enabled health workers, who are at high risk of exposure, to identify and care better for up to 10,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The project has also added almost 1,300 intensive care unit beds across the country,” they said.

In addition, with the World Health Organization (WHO), seven existing laboratories have been equipped, and two new ones set up for COVID-19 testing under the project.

Raising public awareness around the pandemic was also crucial in trying to slow the spread of coronavirus and in line with this, the project helped disseminate 10,000 radio, television and print messages on the virus, its symptoms and prevention between April and August. 

“The project aims to lower COVID-19 testing turnaround to 48 hours or less for 70 percent and reach a 50 percent public awareness rate,” read the report. 

“With the assistance of the international community and financial support from organizations such as the World Bank, we have high hopes of saving countless lives and further strengthening the health care system on which millions of Afghans depend each day,” the two doctors stated. 

So far, Afghanistan has 38,113 reported cases but early this month the Ministry of Public Health said about 10 million Afghans had been infected with the virus. 

Addressing a press conference, acting Health Minister Jawad Osmani said according to a survey conducted across the country, 31.5 percent of Afghans – which is about 10 million people – have contracted COVID-19.

He said the survey had been based on antibody tests on people across the country, with technical support from the World Health Organisation.

The highest infection rate was in Kabul where more than half of the city’s five million population was thought to have been infected.

Osmani said 37 percent of the population in cities and 27 percent of the population in villages have been infected with the virus.