Never as before, is it essential to ensure the continuity of our humanitarian programmes. As in the Trauma Points we support in Kandahar, where twenty to thirty people are treated every day
Over the last months, marked by the progressive worsening of the conflict in Afghanistan, our intervention has guaranteed access to health care in areas that would otherwise have been completely lacking. INTERSOS is active in the provinces of Kandahar and Zabul, where the conflict has been particularly hard since the last quarter of 2020. The highest number of civilian victims in this phase of conflict is concentrated in the province of Kandahar. Over the past three months, the two Trauma Points supported by INTERSOS in Kandahar have provided emergency aid to hundreds of civilians injured in the fighting, or by landmines. Among them, we counted dozens of women and children.
Trauma Points are specialized health facilities able to treat patients even in case of serious injuries, such as head or internal injuries, and to perform surgical operations, while stabilising and referring patients to specialised hospitals when needed. Twenty to thirty people are treated every day in the two Trauma Points supported by INTERSOS in Kandahar. Facilities that can save lives, because they offer emergency aid otherwise unavailable.
The presence in remote areas, less covered by health services, where there are often no means of transportation other than animals, is a red line of our intervention. So it is for the various primary health centers supported in the two provinces, like the Azim Jan Kariz clinic, in the Maywand district, between Kandahar and Lashkar Gah. “Here, in the last 20 years, people did not even know what their reference clinic was, because it did not exist – one of our Afghan doctors tells – People lack basic medical knowledge, such as those concerning ante and post natal care, and there are no shops where you can buy basic necessities“.
Malnutrition in Afghanistan
In such a complex environment, health care starts from the basics. Giving birth, growing up. Supporting maternal and child health play a central role in our projects. According to UNICEF data, only half of the Afghani newborns are breastfed, only 12% of boys and girls over 6 years old receive an adequate diet, and one out of three teenage girls suffers from anemia.
Let’s not forget that Afghanistan has one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world: 41% of children are malnourished and 9.5% are in extreme conditions of severe acute malnutrition, the most severe form of malnutrition, which in the absence of adequate treatment can quickly lead to death. The identification and treatment of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition is, therefore, another fundamental element in our projects. In general, people in conditions of severe food insecurity are currently estimated at over 9 million.
These are dramatic numbers, showing the reality of one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world. The numbers have worsened in recent months, with the risk further deterioration in the future, linked to the concern for the lack of financial resources and the difficulties in accessing medicines and basic necessities. For all these reasons, 20 years after the start of our intervention in the country, staying in Afghanistan is a moral duty and a central objective of IINTERSOS’ humanitarian strategy. On the frontline, again.