The number of mobile clinics active in the most remote areas of the country, where the health system is in collapse, without personnel or medicines, rises to eleven
During the days of the extraordinary G20 on Afghanistan, Intersos strengthens its intervention in the Country. As Marcelo Garcia Dalla Costa, head of the Emergency Unit, tells us from Kabul “We have managed to extend our intervention in the health sector. In fact, in addition to the interventions we carry out in the South of the Country, we are about to start primary health interventions in Kabul, in the most remote districts”.
Intersos has been present in Afghanistan for over twenty years, in particular with health interventions. Our staff is currently employed in the South of the Country, where it supports Qalat hospital and guarantees access to basic care in the most remote areas of Kandahar and Zabul provinces with three mobile teams. “Despite the ongoing crisis, as Intersos and with our teams, we never stopped providing basic assistance” Marcelo points out. However, thanks to the recent increase in expatriate staff, now returned to Afghanistan, and the Afghan staff “Within a couple of weeks seven mobile clinics will be ready to provide basic health services in just as many districts of Kabul”. The number of mobile clinics active in the Country has risen to 11.
The Health System in Afghanistan
With the overthrow of the previous government, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has further worsened. The situation of the health system is particularly serious. Basic health services were drastically reduced already in previous years: hospitals and clinics did not have sufficient health personnel and medicines were lacking. From August 15th onwards, the closure of many international aid programs led to the collapse of the Health System. This is the extremely fragile context within which the intervention of Intersos and the effort, not only to strengthen the presence in the field with additional mobile clinics to provide basic assistance, but also to operate in the most remote areas of the province of Kabul take place.
“There is plenty more to do, winter is approaching and many remote areas, especially in the mountain, will experience a terrible winter in terms of temperatures. Many families have no way to buy wood for heating or are lacking adequate stoves. We are also developing an intervention to ensure that families living in mountainous areas have the minimum necessary to cope with the coming winter“, concludes the head of the Emergency Unit. After decades of conflict and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, winter is only the latest of the challenges facing the Afghan people.