Healthcare Services Report of 2023 by WHO in Afghanistan

World Health Organization on Thursday issued Afghanistan Health Emergency Situation Report No. 26. It covers the organizations’ achievements in the health sector on February 2023 in Afghanistan.

WHO and its aid cluster partners have significantly contributed to serving the people of Afghanistan in the lifesaving healthcare sectors in February 2023.

The document stated that February was a prolific month in providing health services to the Afghan people. 

In February, WHO and 47 Health Cluster partners reached 1,082,672 people with humanitarian health services through 832 health facilities in 305 districts in all 34 provinces, the report said. 

WHO added that the organization committed 2023 to reach its target and continue to provide healthcare services to the people of Afghanistan. 

“With the target for 2023 of 15.6 million people, WHO, with its partners, has continued to build up the effort to ensure access to essential healthcare services throughout the country, including remote and hard-to-reach areas, the report read. 

The organization also established new primary healthcare facilities in remote areas of the country for the most needful people, in which over 220,000 people received services.

“By the end of February, WHO established 185 primary healthcare facilities in underserved/white areas across 26 provinces, in which over 220,000 people received services. In addition, WHO distributed more than 2800 cubic meters (CBM) of medical and non-medical supplies to the partners in response to ongoing health emergencies,” the report stated. 

According to the report in February, over 828,000 acute respiratory infections (ARI) were newly reported. Since October 2022, of the total 4,353,661 ARI cases reported, representing 13.3% of the total population of Afghanistan, 45.1% have afflicted children under five years of age. In addition, ARI cases have increased since 2022 compared to the average of the previous three years. 

This month, one hundred seventy-nine physicians and nurses were trained in ARI case management. Also, medical supplies and sufficient antibiotics have been prepositioned for the surge of cases.

The report estimated that 17 % of adults experienced mild to moderate psychological disorders, including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

WHO has increased access to MHPSS services for people with mental health problems who had been previously neglected. WHO has worked on the capacity building of physicians in line with the mental health gap action program (mhGAP) intervention guidelines; 109 physicians were trained in February. 

WHO also continued its efforts to enhance the case management of hospitalized patients with severe mental disorders. Several assessments were conducted to review the MHPSS needs at four provincial hospitals (Badakhshan, Bamyan, Farah, Nimroz), four regional hospitals (Nangarhar, Herat, Balkh, Kunduz), and the female and child drug addiction treatment centre in Kabul.

Services provided at WHO-supported facilities during February 2023:

· Total number of people who received Physiotherapy: 7,976

· Total number of people who received physiological counselling: 13,422

· people who received blood transfusion: 3,269

· people who received minor surgical operation: 14,511

· people who received major surgical operation: 2,564

Meanwhile, the organization aims to cover and provide services to approximately 15.6 million vulnerable people in 2023 with its partners. It will continue to build up the effort to ensure access to essential healthcare services nationwide.

However, More than 200 trauma care facilities will cease functioning, and trauma care will not be available for more than 250,000 patients. More than 400 mobile health teams will cease to operate, and lifesaving services will not be available for more than 3.5 million people. 

Over 290,000 pregnant women will not have access to ante-natal care, safe deliveries, or post-natal care. In total, this would limit access to Afghanistan’s approximately 1.5 million women of reproductive age to reproductive health services, the report said.

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