Due to lack of resources, the D system reigns in Afghan hospitals

Published on : 08/11/2021 – 12:14

With the abrupt halt in development aid to Afghanistan and the freeze on Afghan assets held abroad, the health system is on the verge of collapse. As a result, nearly 2,300 Afghan hospitals and clinics that depended on foreign funding are at the end of their rope and only 17% of them are now fully functional.

Since the Taliban took the reins of power in Afghanistan, the Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, located in downtown Kabul has no longer received funding.

“You see, we don’t have any medicine here. There we had antibiotics, painkillers and vitamins, but it’s empty now. In that closet we had medicine for heart patients. It didn’t. There isn’t even a tablet left. This water cooler used to work but not anymore. Look, we don’t even have water to wash our hands, “says Masood, a nurse.

Patients should bring their own medication, as well as any gloves or syringes they need. “The family of this patient had to bring these drugs bought from a pharmacy in town,” said Hasseebullah Barakzai, an administrative manager. “We don’t have enough food for the patients. Winter is here and we don’t have enough fuel for the heating system.”

Caregivers who desert

More than sixty employees have left their posts at this hospital because salaries have not been paid for three months. Despite this complicated situation, Nurse Massouda continues to work: “From the moment we wore this white coat, we swore that we would serve our nation no matter what the conditions. We ourselves are in need but we come. Just the same. Like many people here I am the sole breadwinner in my family. ”

At the same time, the Minister of Health inaugurated the launch of a campaign against polio. Fears that the hospital system will collapse are strong within the Taliban government, which calls for the return of development aid. “The health sector is not a political body. It doesn’t have to be politicized. I think the child to be cared for is the same child as two, three or six months ago. care is the same as two or three months ago. And the wishes of a patient admitted to a hospital are the same. They are human beings. In the name of humanitarian law, we call on the international community to unblock the funds “, explains Qalandar Ibad, the Minister of Health.

It’s urgent. According to the International Red Cross, more than 2,000 health structures have recently closed their doors in Afghanistan.

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