Health

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Program Description

Background

Afghanistan has one of the highest mortality rates in the world: one in five children die before the age of five and life expectancy is only 47 years for men and 45 years for women. While these statistics are tragic, there has been progress.  Through a variety of health programs, more than seven million people in 13 provinces targeted by USAID have better access to quality health care.   

The Program

USAID prioritized basic health care for rural communities with a primary focus on women and children’s health. USAID has been working very closely with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to provide essential services to the Afghan people—especially women and children. Our programs deliver basic health care in 13 provinces, and mentor MoPH and NGO staff at the central, provincial, district, and community levels to improve the coverage and quality of health service delivery. In addition, other USAID programs increase the abilities of individuals, families, and communities to protect their own health; produce and distribute a range of health education materials for use in homes, clinics, and public places; and use the power of the private sector to deliver key health messages and market health beneficial products.

• DELIVERING QUALITY HEALTH SERVICES:  USAID and the Ministry of Public Health together support volunteers throughout the health system—from basic health centers in villages to provincial hospitals. Approximately 239,200 patients receive treatment and counseling monthly from USAID trained community health workers, 70 percent of whom are women and children.
• TRAINING HEALTH PROVIDERS:  Given the remoteness of villages across Afghanistan and the lack of education for many Afghans, training in better health practices is critical for saving lives. USAID has trained 11,400 health workers, including pre-service training for midwives and community health workers and in-service training for doctors, midwives, and nurses. 
• BUILDING CAPACITY IN THE HEALTH SYSTEM:  USAID has worked with the Ministry of Public Health to expand its ability to plan and manage activities, allocate resources, increase human capacity, strengthen the health information system, and monitor and evaluate the Basic Package of Health Services and the Essential Package of Hospital Services programs.
• POLIO ERADICATION ACTIVITIES AND TB CONTROL:  Insecurity along the border regions, especially in the south, has increased the number of polio cases from about seven in 2004 to 17 in 2007. Afghanistan and Pakistan are two of the four remaining countries in the world with live polio virus.
       USAID supports the national Polio Eradication Initiative and provided $1.5 million in FY2007 to UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). Our assistance to UNICEF helps purchase vaccines and cold chain equipment, and provides support to the immunization service delivery network.  Assistance to WHO is for surveillance and training in the coordinated efforts to eradicate polio from Afghanistan through an annual door-to-door vaccination strategy. Over seven million children, or 95 percent of Afghan children under the age of five, have been vaccinated against polio.
       USAID has supported tuberculosis (TB) control efforts through the BPHS/EPHS delivery system implemented by WHO. TB control assistance, through the Directly Observed Therapy, Short Course (DOTS) methodology, will continue in 13 provinces. Globally recognized as the best way to cure TB and control its spread, DOTS is a six to eight month program, depending on the severity of infection, in which health providers directly administer medication and closely monitor patient progress.  USAID has provided approximately $1.5 million to WHO to upgrade laboratory services in the nationwide TB control program.
• EXPANDING HEALTH KNOWLEDGE AND DISTRIBUTING HEALTH-PROMOTING PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS:  More than 60 percent of the families in Afghanistan drink unsafe water —a leading cause of acute diarrhea. Dehydration, a life-threatening side effect of diarrhea, is a major cause of death among children under five. Using social marketing, USAID launched the product “Clorin”, a safe, easy method to effectively treat water. In addition, education posters and other materials provide important information on good health practices.
       USAID works with private businesses to expand distribution of socially marketed high-quality health products, disseminate public health messages, and make more products and services available to rural low-income people in a cost-effective way.
• CLINIC CONSTRUCTION:  In conjunction with the MoPH, USAID is building and renovating clinics throughout Afghanistan to provide people in rural areas easier access to healthcare, primarily in underserved areas. As of June 2008, more than 670 health clinics and other health facilities, including hospitals, have been built or refurbished.