Health
Kunduz steps up vaccine campaign, urges residents to get jabbed
Eighty thousand people in Kunduz have received the COVID-19 vaccine in the past six months, officials confirmed Friday.
Health officials in Kunduz province say that since the new government came in to power, 80,000 people in the provincial capital and districts have received the vaccine.
“More than 80,000 people received the vaccine in Kunduz. We call on the other compatriots to get the [COVID-19] vaccine,” said Qari Mohammad Anwar Bashir, head of Kunduz public health directorate.
“We have vaccinated more than 80,000 of the males and females [in Kunduz]. We have sites in the city and districts,” said Jamshid Sarwari, an official from Kunduz district hospital.
According to the officials, this shows an increase of 20 percent of vaccinations against the previous six months.
However, officials at the COVID-19 treatment hospital in Kunduz say that in the past three days, out of 175 corona specimens tested, 35 have been reported to have signs of a mutation or Omicron variant.
The director of public health in Kunduz also confirmed that more than 80,000 people have received the vaccine in the past six months.
He called on Kunduz residents to get vaccinated in order to prevent a fourth wave of the virus.
Meanwhile, vaccinators at the Kunduz District Hospital, are optimistic that people are willing to get vaccinated.
“More people are coming. People understand about the value of the vaccine. The people who received vaccines are safe and healthy,” said Sayed Mehran Hashimi, a vaccinator.
On the other hand, doctors at the COVID-19 Hospital in Kunduz report an increase in the number of positive cases in recent days, and say that the lack of diagnostic kits for mutations has made it difficult for them to diagnose the variant.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, Noor Jalal Jalali, has called for India’s cooperation in the standardization and development of traditional medicine during a meeting with India’s Minister for Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH), Prataprao Jadhav.
The meeting focused on establishing a traditional medicine institute and a research center in Kabul, cooperation in training qualified professionals, and the signing of a bilateral memorandum of understanding. Minister Jalali stressed that standardizing traditional medicine is a pressing priority for Afghanistan and noted that India’s extensive expertise in this field would be highly beneficial.
For his part, the AYUSH minister reaffirmed India’s commitment to supporting Afghanistan by assisting in the establishment of a research center and institute in Kabul, developing and implementing academic curricula, and expanding cooperation across various areas related to traditional medicine.
Noor Jalal Jalali, Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan, held a meeting in Kabul with representatives of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and other international organizations.
According to the ministry’s statement, representatives of these international organizations discussed the delivery of health and development services, improving the management of aid and resources in the health sector, integrating health facilities and aligning them with the new policy, providing health services in accordance with the Ministry of Public Health’s policy, strengthening the immunization and vaccination sector, delivering services based on priorities, and ensuring sustained coordination.
During the meeting, Jalali stressed the need for transparency and attention to the ministry’s priorities in order to enhance the effectiveness and impact of health services. He added that the delivery of health services must be carried out in line with the ministry’s policy and through better management of existing international assistance.
Referring to vaccination campaigns, he stated that the recent measles and polio vaccination campaign had been implemented very successfully, and emphasized that necessary preparations should be made for upcoming campaigns.
He also provided information regarding the review of the BPHS and EPHS health packages and the establishment of a standardized system through technical committees.
In this meeting, Edwin Ceniza, the WHO Representative for Afghanistan, reaffirmed the organization’s continued cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and expressed appreciation to the ministry’s leadership for their tireless efforts to improve the health system.
Representatives of these organizations pledged to maintain effective and sustained coordination and to provide their services within the country in accordance with the policies and principles of the Ministry of Public Health.
Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister for Health Services at the Ministry of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), has departed for Turkey on an official visit accompanied by a high-ranking delegation.
According to a statement released by the Health Ministry on Wednesday, the trip aims to acquire new health-sector expertise, assess Turkish medical and scientific institutions, meet with Turkish health and government officials, and strengthen bilateral cooperation.
During the visit, the delegation is scheduled to meet representatives from both public and private health sectors to support improvements in Afghanistan’s healthcare system and enhance coordination between the two countries, the statement added.
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