Millions at risk as Afghanistan struggles with underfunded health care system

Описание: (12 Oct 2023)
AFGHANISTAN HEALTH CARE

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

LENGTH: 2:55

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kabul, Afghanistan - 30 August 2023
1. Patients at Sheikh Zayed Hospital
2. Various of nurses examining patients
3. Various of doctors and nurses studying reports of a patient
4. Medical staff standing around patient

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kabul, Afghanistan - 31 August 2023
5. Various of Taliban health ministry spokesman, Dr. Sharafat Zema working in his office
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Sharafat Zema, Taliban health ministry spokesman:
"We had 80 million OPDs (outpatient departments) registered in the last year, so it needs money, budget and also, sometimes assistance from the international organizations. So that is why nowadays, we are facing with some of the organizations, they are leaving, like ICRC, the hospital's sponsorship. So that is why it will really affect the people because they are leaving the hospitals."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kabul, Afghanistan - 30 August 2023
7. People in Sheikh Zayed hospital compound with sign reading (Dari/Pashto): "Emergency Department"
8. People in hospital compound
9. Various of nurse Nasima Khalili examining patient
10. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Nurse Khalili, nurse:
"Most of our patients are not even able to buy a simple injection from pharmacies outside. Most of the time our patients don't have access to medicine. If funding is stopped, we will not be able to admit patients and there is a risk that many patients might lose their lives."

11. Patients in Sheikh Zayed Hospital's emergency ward
12. Various of doctors treating injured patient
13. SOUNDBITE (Pashto) Dr. Ahmad Khalid Omid, internal medicine doctor and person in charge at Sheikh Zayed Hospital emergency ward:
"We currently need a lot of equipment, supplies and medicines. A lack of supplies and other stuff is our current problem and if it continues, we will have further problems in the future."

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kabul, Afghanistan - 4 September 2023
14. Various of women in downtown Kabul
15. Downtown market
STORYLINE:
Afghanistan's health care system already faced mounting challenges, but a plan to hand over financial responsibility for 25 hospitals to the government could spell disaster.

In August, the International Committee of the Red Cross said there was a planned handover of these hospitals at the end of August.

"Some of the organizations... are leaving, like ICRC, the hospital's sponsorship," said Taliban health ministry spokesman Dr. Sharafat Zema.

Afghanistan's health care system has already lost international funding since Taliban's return to power in August 2021.

In 2021, the country's health care system was able to function only with a lifeline from aid organizations.

The World Health Organization said in August that eight million Afghans will lose access to essential and potentially lifesaving healthcare without sufficient funding.

The international community has not officially recognized the Taliban, who imposed a series of restrictive measures that have drawn wide criticism.

With Afghanistan's assets abroad frozen, the economy has spiraled further, deepening the hardships of ordinary Afghans.

Nasima Khalili, who has been working as a nurse in one of Kabul's governmental hospitals for five years, gets paid through the funding provided by ICRC.

"Most of the time our patients don't have access to medicine. If funding is stopped, we will not be able to admit patients and there is a risk that many patients might lose their lives," she said.






AP video shot by Siddiqullah Alizai



Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...