26 November 2024, Cairo/Kabul – WHO Regional Director for the Japanese Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy lately concluded a 3-day go to to Afghanistan the place she met with the nation’s de facto authorities, well being officers and humanitarian companions to debate crucial well being priorities. Central to the discussions have been Afghanistan’s efforts to eradicate polio, promote equitable entry to high quality well being care, deal with substance use problems and put money into a sustainable well being workforce.
Throughout her go to, Dr Balkhy travelled to Mazar-e-Sharif within the nation’s northern area, the place she inaugurated the Balkh 50-bed Ladies and Kids Drug Habit Therapy Centre, one in every of 12 drug habit therapy centres receiving very important assist from WHO and companions. She additionally visited the 50-bed Infectious Ailments Hospital, interacting with sufferers and well being employees, the place she confused the crucial significance of enhancing medical workers capacities and enhancing accessibility to well being care companies for susceptible populations all through Afghanistan.
Substance use is a rising public well being problem within the Japanese Mediterranean Area, and in Afghanistan significantly. With greater than 4 million folks within the nation scuffling with substance use problems, there’s an pressing want for targeted actions and international assist. To deal with this pressing problem WHO, along with its companions, goals to scale back morbidity, mortality and the social prices related to substance use problems by way of contextualized, evidence-based public well being interventions.
Dr Balkhy highlighted WHO’s dedication to offering assist to folks with substance use problems, and making certain their full integration into the neighborhood.
“The difficulty of habit in Afghanistan is a really giant one. Consistent with my regional priorities, we’ll proceed to work with our companions to make sure we are able to present the assistance and assist wanted to ensure that these sufferers have a protected monitor again into regular life and are absolutely built-in inside their communities,” mentioned Dr Balkhy.
“Along with the nation’s well being authorities and our companions, we are able to make this occur and guarantee a greater and more healthy life for the folks of Afghanistan.”
Dr Balkhy remarked that a lot of the sufferers she visited within the infectious illness hospital in Balkh suffered from vaccine preventable illnesses akin to tetanus, meningitis with tuberculosis, and hepatic failure and liver cirrhosis because of hepatitis B, making better efforts to make sure elevated vaccine take-up and Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) protection important. To this finish, she known as for elevated advocacy and consciousness amongst sufferers visiting the hospital and their wider communities concerning the significance of routine EPI.
Throughout her engagements on polio eradication, Dr Balkhy and different representatives from the World Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) underscored the worldwide dedication to finish polio and confused the necessity for renewed political and administrative commitments and stronger collaboration to lastly interrupt transmission of untamed poliovirus.
“These vital nation visits supply a singular alternative for international and regional leaders to strengthen partnerships with nationwide polio programmes, reinforce accountability and exhibit that international eradication is inside attain. Afghanistan’s dedication to stopping the present polio outbreak within the south and enhancing vaccination is significant to attaining this aim,” mentioned Dr Balkhy .
Recognizing the criticality of shut coordination on polio eradication between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which type a single epidemiological bloc, and the necessity for broader bilateral collaboration on different well being priorities, Dr Balkhy is facilitating a well being dialogue between the nations with the engagement and assist of crucial nationwide management in each nations.
In her assembly with UN company representatives in Afghanistan, Dr Balkhy emphasised “well being in all businesses” and the strategic integration of well being into improvement efforts, highlighting the necessity for unified motion to deal with Afghanistan’s crucial well being challenges. This engagement is a part of WHO’s dedication to fostering partnerships that drive impactful, sustainable well being outcomes for communities throughout the nation.
Recognizing the grave issues concerning the affect of restrictions on entry to formal training for feminine well being employees on the flexibility to take care of well being service supply, Dr Balkhy reiterated her energetic willpower to advocate for feminine training and rights as a part of total efforts to advance Afghanistan’s well being agenda.
The humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan is among the world’s most extreme, with a number of the highest ranges of meals insecurity globally. Drought, displacement and poverty persist, whereas pure disasters exacerbate the scenario. Humanitarian wants have surged, with the variety of folks in want rising from 18.4 million in mid-2021 to roughly 23.7 million in 2024. Of those, about 17.9 million urgently require well being help.
We should not neglect the folks of Afghanistan.
Chosen images from the mission
WHO Regional Director, Dr Hanan Balkhy interacting with sufferers on the 50-bed Feminine Drug Habit Therapy Middle in Balkh Province
Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy visiting the WHO-supported Infectious Ailments Hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif 
The Minister of Public Well being of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali and Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director
WHO Regional Director, Dr Hanan Balkhy and Dr Edwin Ceniza Salvador WHO consultant in Afghanistan. inaugurating the 50-bed Feminine Drug Habit Therapy Middle in Balkh Province