Afghanistan: Humanitarian Update, September 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

Flickers of hope in Afghanistan’s healthcare to the underserved Pg. 01

Uncovering the effects of climate change on the most vulnerable Pg. 02

Safeguarding vulnerable Afghan populations amidst winter challenges: CERF's vital $20 Million allocation Pg. 03

FLICKERS OF HOPE IN AFGHANISTAN’S HEALTHCARE TO THE UNDERSERVED

Between June 2022 and September 2023, the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) supported WHO to reach hundreds of thousands of Afghans with life-saving health services in underserved areas through the Provision of Primary Healthcare (PHC) Project in Daikundi, Kunar, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nuristan and Wardak provinces.

Some of the leading services that WHO provided included primary healthcare to 158,700 individuals; secondary and tertiary care services to more than 131,500 individuals; reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent healthcare to 74,500 individuals; and trauma care to almost 40,400 individuals.

Additionally, as a long-term strategy, WHO also conducted trainings to health care providers around the country, advanced its outreach on communicable diseases via campaigns, and enhanced its system for infectious diseases surveillance to ensure timely detection and response to potential outbreaks.

“We are delighted that our collaboration with WHO has enabled us to support the health needs of the people of Afghanistan, especially those that have limited or no access to health services” said Jens Oppermann, the Head of Humanitarian Financing, at OCHA Afghanistan.

In this period, the economic impacts of the ban on Afghan women working for national and international NGOs in December 2022, as well as the suspension of direct bilateral development cooperation following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in August 2021, had significantly impacted the health sector’s ability to deliver regular and quality services.

“WHO is profoundly appreciative of the unwavering support from the AHF, particularly during the challenging times that followed the political transition in 2021. These contributions have been instrumental in enabling WHO to make significant strides towards its goals of serving the health needs of the vulnerable people, including women and girls,” said Dr Luo Dapeng, the WHO Representative in Afghanistan.

As these populations are also vulnerable to various health risks, WHO also implemented preventive measures such as the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene services at health facilities, as well as case management of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). Notably, these SAM services have prevented avoidable deaths of children and positively impacted the longer-term growth and development of the population.

Though this project managed to reach large communities in this initial phase, additional support is required to bring the health sector to an adequate standard to serve vulnerable populations. To this end, investment in infrastructure, increased inclusion of Afghan women in healthcare provision, enhanced capacity of the health workforce, as well as timely prevention, detection and response to infection diseases will be critical at the community level. The availability of medical supplies, equipment and quality services will also be vital.

The AHF is a country-based pooled fund which was established in Afghanistan in 2014. It allows for the Humanitarian Coordinator to avail of funds to meet the most critical humanitarian needs for efficient and rapid response to emergencies