WHO Urges Attention on Health Services in Afghanistan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, December 15, 2001

WHO Urges Attention on Health Services in Afghanistan

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday in Geneva there is an urgent need for more health services in Herat, western Afghanistan.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday in Geneva there is an urgent need for more health services in Herat, western Afghanistan.

A WHO official said only five clinics are serving about 300, 000 people there, with six others to open soon.

He said acute respiratory infections, including pneumonia, are plaguing the people gathered in and around Herat. Tuberculosis is posing as a threat to the overcrowded Maslakh camp. The WHO will offer guidance on how to control this deadly disease in difficult conditions.

The global health body is working with Afghans to start planning reconstruction of the health sector in Herat. Earlier this week, the WHO hosted a meeting of U.N. agencies, Afghan and international NGOs along with representatives from Afghan University.

The official said they listed the priorities on agenda, which include continuing emergency assistance, training health workers, a baseline health and population survey, and empowerment of female workers.

They invited the international community to assist with the reconstruction of the health sector, without imposing rules and models.

According to the WHO, the next such meeting is scheduled for December 26 in Kabul, following the takeover of the Interim Administration in Afghanistan and Dr. Suhaila Seddiqi's induction as health minister.

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