Health
Up to 8 children dying daily in Kabul hospital from malnutrition: Source
As many as eight children die each day from malnutrition at just one hospital in Kabul, a reliable source told Ariana News on Wednesday.
According to the source, who asked not to be named, the deaths have happened at the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital in Kabul.
However, hospital officials have denied the claims and said they have recorded only one death from malnutrition in the past month.
Malnutrition among children across Afghanistan has raised serious concerns in the past few months.
Last month, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Afghanistan warned that one million Afghan children could die from severe acute malnutrition if “urgent actions” are not taken.
Hasib Rahimzai Wardag, chief of the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, said on Wednesday: “We have two wards for malnutrition – one which involves medium-level treatment and supply of materials and the other involves acute cases requiring hospitalization. We had only one death among the patients in beds during the past one month.”
Meanwhile, patients and visitors at the hospital have complained about a number of issues including the lack of discipline among staff, the lack of medicine and medical supplies, and the mistreatment of patients at the facility.
“There is no accountability and we wait so long for doctors. My patient is suffering from both malnutrition and a cleft palate. They should attend to people. We buy all the medicines. There is nothing in the hospital,” said Zarlasht, a relative of one patient.
Humaira, a relative of another patient, said: “I have been at the hospital for one month. I don’t understand why the doctors are not telling me what the child is suffering from and why he is not recovering.”
UNICEF meanwhile has also warned that some 3.2 million children under the age of five are at risk of severe malnutrition in Afghanistan by the end of the year as a result of the country’s severe humanitarian crisis.
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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