KABUL: Deputy Minister of Public Health for health services delivery Dr. Abdul Bari Omar in news conference held Saturday in Kabul said that the Ministry of Public Health was equally delivering health services to all Afghans without any discrimination. He asserted that the ministry has been able to keep doors of health centers open across the country.
According to Dr. Omar, in previous government 90 percent of health section depended on foreign aids which were for the people of Afghanistan not the government, adding that after the political change in the country, the aids were cut, which caused critical situation in the country. He asked all donor organizations for continued cooperation and assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
In the news conference, Dr. Omar by pointing to improvement of the country’s health sector informed of future programs of the ministry, saying that leadership of the ministry was making effort to standardize the health sector in the country.
Briefing related to current COVID-19 situation in the country, Dr. Omar said that ten thousand people contracted Coronavirus and of them 650 people died of the infection nationwide during the past five months. He added that they had taken measures to check the spread of Covid-19 and 8000 to 12000 people were
administered vaccine on a daily basis.
He acknowledged lack of resources to establish Covid-19 treatment hospitals across the country but said efforts were underway to control the situation with foreign assistance. Dr. Omar said they had discussed with UNICEF about the establishment of 10 oxygen producing plants in order to avoid its shortage.
He urged the international community to keep politics away from health and help the Afghans in this regard.
The acting public health minister called malnutrition of children another challenge, which he linked with poverty, not breastfeeding children by their mothers and unhygienic food items sales in the market. He said currently 3.2 million children in Afghanistan faced malnutrition. However, he said they were working jointly
with UNICEF and the World Health Organization to cope with children’s malnutrition. Dr. Omar also talked about the situation and population of addicts in the country, saying 3.5 million people were addicted to
drugs.
He said every addict spent three dollars to buy drugs and this way they totally spent 10.5 million dollars a day. However, he said they had taken measures to treat the addicts and during the past three months, 7800 addicts were collected, treated and reunited with their families while 7000 more addicts were under treatment. He said 88 rehabilitation centers for drug addicts existed across the country, but only three
of these centers had own buildings and the rest were operated in rented houses.
According to the ministry, the health sector was 90 percent dependent on foreign aid, which has been suspended, but efforts are being made to convince the world and solve the existing problems.
The Kabul Times
MoPH delivering health services to all Afghans without discrimination
