[ad_1]
Two major aid agencies told Reuters that after foreign donors stopped providing aid after the Taliban took over, Afghanistan’s healthcare system was at risk of collapse.
After the United States withdrew most of the remaining troops last month, the Taliban accelerated their military operations. Control the capital Kabul, August 15.
Soon after, international donors, including the World Bank and the European Union, froze funding for Afghanistan.
“One of the biggest risks facing the health system here is collapse due to lack of support,” said Filipe Ribeiro, the representative of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF) in Afghanistan, which is one of the largest medical aid agencies in the region. one. nation.
“For many years, Afghanistan’s overall health system has been understaffed, insufficiently equipped, and underfunded. The biggest risk is that this underfunding will continue over time.”
Necephor Mghendi, head of Afghanistan at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), said that the already fragile health care system that relies heavily on foreign aid is under additional pressure.
“this Humanitarian needs It’s huge on the ground,” he said.
Both aid agencies said that although their ground operations were basically unaffected, their demand increased significantly because other facilities could not fully function.
Mhendi said that the closure of the Afghan bank meant that almost all humanitarian agencies were unable to obtain funding, and suppliers and staff were not paid.
Compounding the problem is that medical supplies need to be replenished earlier than expected.
“Supply that should last three months will not last three months. We may need to replenish it sooner,” Mghendi said.
Ribeiro said that Médecins Sans Frontières had stockpiled medical supplies before taking over, but due to the disruption of flights and land border chaos, it is not clear when more medical supplies will arrive in the country.
Hygiene products arrive
The World Health Organization said on Monday that a plane carrying 12.5 tons of medicines and sanitary supplies landed in Mazar-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, the first such cargo since the Taliban took control.
The World Health Organization stated that the plane that took off from Dubai will deliver supplies to 40 medical institutions in 29 provinces across the country.
The WHO added that these supplies-including trauma and first aid kits-are sufficient to meet the basic needs of more than 200,000 people, provide 3,500 surgical operations and treat 6,500 trauma patients.
Ahmed al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said: “After several days of uninterrupted work to find a solution… we have now been able to partially replenish the inventory of health facilities in Afghanistan.”
“In recent weeks, due to security and logistical constraints, humanitarian agencies such as the World Health Organization have faced enormous challenges in delivering life-saving supplies to Afghanistan,” Mandari added.
He further thanked Pakistan for providing aircraft delivery.
This is the first of three flights planned by Pakistan International Airlines, and WHO said it is working hard to ensure that “this week’s cargo is the first of many flights.”
Al Jazeera reporter Rob McBride reported in Kabul that the flight from Dubai “really opens up a broader potential for routes into Afghanistan.
“Mazar-i-Sharif is an important city in the north. It has a large and important airport. Before the government fell, there were international flights there, so this confirms that they have restored air traffic control, which indeed seems to be the advancement of Kabul. Paved the way,” McBride said.
“Once the United States leaves, they will take away air traffic control. The Taliban will not only restore the airport, but also restore air traffic control.
“It does provide a way forward, and everyone here seems to want to see-the government, aid organizations, and of course the people-because it means that commercial flights will eventually return,” McBride said.
The WHO warned that Afghanistan may soon face a shortage of medical staff because staff are fleeing the country and female health workers are away from work due to fear.
During the period from 1996 to 2001 in power, the Taliban’s relationship with foreign aid agencies was unstable and eventually expelled many people, including Doctors Without Borders, in 1998.
Ribeiro said that this time, the organization welcomes foreign donors and will protect the rights of foreign and local employees-so far, this promise has been kept.
“They actually asked us to stay, they asked us to continue to operate our business as before,” he said. “So far, this relationship is very gratifying.”
[ad_2]
Source link