12 Might 2024, Kabul, Afghanistan – WHO Regional Director for the Jap Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy lately wrapped up a 3-day go to to Kabul, Afghanistan, following her high-level mission to neighbouring Pakistan with the Chair of the Polio Oversight Board and companions from the World Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
In Afghanistan, Dr Balkhy met with the de facto authorities and well being companions in Kabul to debate crucial well being points, specializing in selling equitable entry to well being care; empowering women and girls; increasing well being workforce schooling; addressing substance use problems; and eradicating polio.
As one of many 2 nations during which wild poliovirus stays endemic, Afghanistan has made incremental progress to finish transmission since resuming polio immunization campaigns in November 2021. Throughout her go to, Dr Balkhy, along with UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia Mr Sanjay Wijesekera, engaged with companions and stakeholders to underscore WHO and GPEI’s dedication to shut the remaining gaps for polio eradication within the nation and finish polio for good.
With simply 3 polio circumstances reported in 2024 and the virus restricted to the nation’s East and South areas, Afghanistan presently has its greatest probability to eradicate polio. The current announcement by prime management to reinstate house-to-house polio vaccination actions within the South area is a key improvement that can allow the polio eradication programme to succeed in extra kids.
Dr Balkhy harassed WHO’s dedication to polio eradication in Afghanistan and Pakistan as a key regional public well being precedence. She reiterated her dedication to convene a well being dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan, a proposal that the Authorities of Pakistan embraced. This dialogue will tackle stronger collaboration on polio eradication, in addition to broader well being wants of each nations.
Dr Balkhy additionally visited WHO-supported well being amenities in Afghanistan: Indira Gandhi Youngsters’s Hospital, one in all 130 vitamin stabilization centres supported by WHO in Afghanistan; and Kabul’s 100-bed drug dependancy therapy centre (DATC) for ladies and kids, one in all 7 rehabilitation centres within the nation that obtain important assist from WHO and companions. Within the DATC ward for addicted kids, Dr Balkhy had an emotional encounter with a number of younger ladies who instructed her tales of their struggles and their journeys to restoration.
Dr Balkhy engaged with sufferers and well being staff on the well being amenities. She harassed the crucial significance of enhancing the capacities of medical employees and enhancing entry to well being companies for weak populations throughout Afghanistan.
Recognizing that ladies’s schooling considerably influences the well being and total well-being of the inhabitants, Dr Balkhy reiterated her dedication to advocate for feminine schooling and rights as a part of total efforts to advance Afghanistan’s well being agenda.
“WHO has performed a basic position in polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan, in addition to responding to important, life-saving wants throughout the nation,” stated Dr Balkhy. “According to my regional priorities, we’ll proceed to work with the de facto well being authorities and our companions to develop equitable entry to high quality well being care, strengthen the capability of the well being workforce – particularly ladies – and tackle substance abuse.”
The humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan is among the world’s most extreme, with a few of the highest ranges of meals insecurity globally. Drought, displacement and poverty persist, whereas pure disasters exacerbate the state of affairs. Humanitarian wants have surged, with the variety of folks in want rising from 18.4 million in mid-2021 to about 23.7 million in 2024. About 17.9 million of those folks in want urgently require well being help.