KABUL: Acting Minister of Public Health (MoPH) Dr. Qalandar Ebad, participated in a meeting held in Doha, the capital of Qatar on Afghanistan’s health priorities and polio eradication, the ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
In the meeting, which was attended by the Deputy Ministers of Qatar Ministry of Health and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives from the Bill Gates Foundation, World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF regional offices, apart from polio eradication, the construction of hospitals in white areas were also discussed.
In the meeting, Dr. Ebad said: “Our health sector priorities are clear and our health sector partners must continue their assistance to the real health needs in Afghanistan and avoid duplication weakness services,” according to the statement.
He added that the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan was committed to eradicating polio and the international partners of the health sector should also cooperate with Afghanistan for a sustainable health system and implement their commitments.
The country’s public health minister called on the international health partners to focus their activities from temporary to long-term and broad-based programs, to provide real, sustainable and quality health services to the people, according to the statement.
Ebad also said that the polio diagnostic laboratory in Afghanistan, which the World Health Organization promised to build last year, should be built as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, head of the World Health Organization’s polio department assured that a technical team will visit Afghanistan in the current month to start the initial work of establishing a polio diagnosis laboratory.
The deputy of Qatar Ministers assured that they are committed to cooperate with Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health in short and long-term programs, according to the statement.
The Kabul Times
WHO to establish polio labs in Afghanistan
