Sunday, April 14, 2013
Kabul (BNA) Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday held health retreat conference for two days, discussing activities carried out during last decade, achievements, health priorities, and investment on health sector of Afghanistan.
The conference was attended by representatives of International health partners for Afghanistan, such as World Bank (WB), Europe Union (EU), United States Agency for International development (USAID), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and other international partners and donors.
Addressing the conference Dr. Suraya Dalil, Minister of Public Health said,” today we held retreat conference, while in cooperation with our international partners, we have got significant achievements in health sector of Afghanistan during last ten years.
Dr. Dalil further said, around 60 percent of the Afghan population has access to basic health services.
This means that families in Afghanistan by walking an hour distance receive basic health services from a health center wherein care for childhood illnesses, care before delivery, during delivery and after childbirth, implementation of immunization programs, essential drugs and treatment of common disaster are provided.
Today in Afghanistan out of every 10 newborns, only one dies before the age of five, while ten years ago, every four children were born, one of them died before reaching the age of five.
Likewise one in three births occur by help of skilled, trained and qualified birth attendants and 60 percent of mothers during their pregnancy at least once go to doctor, Dr. Dalil added.
The Minister of Public Health stated “ten years ago, every 27 minutes a women died due to complication of pregnancy and child birth, but now a mothers dies very two hours in one parts of the country”.
Dr. Dalil while emphasizing on serious fighting against corruption said that the readership of MoPH was committed to fight seriously against corruption and she as the minister of public health assures to the international community, donors and especially to the people of Afghanistan that her is responsible and countable for very dollar comes into the country’s health sector.
Meanwhile in conference, the minister of public health signed long-term partnership protocol with representatives of Europe Union and World Bank.
Likewise a numbers of other participants spoke in the conference, called the investment on the health sector of Afghanistan so important and emphasized on their long-term commitment with Afghan government, particularly in its health sector.
