Hospital brings health care to rural Afghans

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

07.11.2011

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force 1 - Afghanistan

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – A young Afghan woman in a burqa sits with her infant daughter. Although her face is covered, the cloth cannot hide her concern for her daughter’s health. For many young parents in rural Afghanistan, proper health care for women and children is a constant concern.

With assistance from the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team, renovations to a 35-year-old clinic in the Kama District of Nangarhar, is just one of many governmental projects aimed at improving facilities for women’s health care throughout Afghanistan.

For many women and children in the province, an illness often requires them to travel hundreds of kilometers to find a doctor’s care. However, small hospitals like the one in Kama, provides immediate care for minor health problems for those living in rural areas.

The Public Health and Sanitation Technical Working Group and the Provincial Development Council, selected the hospital for governmental renovations to address overcrowding. Although the hospital treats predominantly women, it provides health care services for more than 50,000 residents in the Kama District. Approximately 160 patients are treated at the hospital daily.

The construction includes a 400-meter stone masonry boundary wall, two separate waiting areas for males and females, a parking lot and a three-kilowatt solar package.

Following renovations, the hospital will be able to serve more patients while increasing the quality of health care available to the district, said Dr. Ahmad, a doctor employed at the Kama Hospital.

In addition to providing treatment for minor injuries, hospital staff specializes in providing maternal care to pregnant women. The hospital even offers a small delivery room, complete with three beds.

Maternity care is a major concern throughout Afghanistan, said Ahmad. For every 100 births in Afghanistan, nearly 15 infants die, giving the nation one of the highest infant-mortality rates in the world.

With modest equipment, the hospital is only geared to provide the most basic medical services, said Ahmad. Although those requiring advanced care must still travel to Jalalabad or Kabul, the majority of patients can typically be treated at the local hospital.

Treatment does not end with physical care; the Kama hospital also provides counseling services to women.

“The hospital is just one small step the Afghan government is taking toward meeting the needs of its people,” said U.S. Army Maj. Patricia Poindexter, a native of Las Vegas and officer in charge of the civil military operations center, Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team. “It’s just the beginning.”

Thanks to a small hospital in Kama, one Afghan mother and her daughter can rest easy in the fact that this visit will not take them miles and miles from home.

• Date Taken: 07.11.2011
• Date Posted: 07.20.2011 17:18
• Story ID: 74027
• Location: NANGARHAR PROVINCE, AF