Sustaining Afghanistan's Public hospitals healthcare delivery to vulnerable populations ltpgtlt/pgtltp class="" style=""gtThe
support by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been pivotal
in sustaining Afghanistan's hospital sector, backing 33 government-owned
hospitals with 7890 beds. These hospitals serve as vital referral centers,
delivering essential care to a significant portion of the population. However,
funding constraints have forced the ICRC to halt its support, jeopardizing the
country’s healthcare system's resilience.lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justifytext-justify:inter-ideograph"gt lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justifytext-justify:inter-ideograph"gtThe
discontinuation of support to the hospitals will result in increased
preventable morbidity and mortality due to embedding access to health services,
an increased burden on existing functional healthcare facilities, reduced
responsiveness during emergencies, higher out-of-pocket expenses for patients,
and a potential decline in the overall quality of health services.  Due to funding limitations, ICRC stopped its support to eight MoHE hospitals by the end of April 2023 and will stop support to 25 MoPH hospitals by the end of August 2023. The stoppage of ICRC support will further deteriorate the already underfunded and under-resourced Afghanistan health system as ICRC-supported hospitals are major referral hospitals that provide services to nearly 25% of the total population in Afghanistan.ltbrgt

lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justifytext-justify:inter-ideograph"gt lt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justifytext-justify:inter-ideograph"gtTo
mitigate a potential crisis and counter the negative impacts left by ICRC's
departure, WHO is proposing a strategic approach to safeguard essential
healthcare services for vulnerable populations in Afghanistan. This will be
achieved by facilitating the provision of critical medicines and medical
consumables to 25 Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) hospitals (with a bed capacity of 6440 beds), addressing the
gap created by withdrawal of support by the ICRC. This approach guarantees the
continued delivery of essential healthcare services to those who require them
most, serving as a lifeline for both patients and healthcare workers. This
proposed intervention not only prevents potential healthcare disruptions but
also targets the reduction of mortality rates, particularly within marginalized
groups. The project will have 1,857,609 beneficiaries (59% female and 41% male).ltbrgtltbrgt
lt/pgtltp class="MsoNormal" style="border-style: none border-color: inherit border-width: medium outline: 0px vertical-align: top font-family: Roboto, sans-serif !important font-size: 11px padding: 0px margin: 0px height: auto text-align: justify"gtWHO will procure the needed medicine and medical supplies/ consumables using its standard procurement procedures. The procurement of medicine will be done internationally using WHO guidelines and standards for ensuing quality, efficiency and supply chain management. WHO has regional stocks in the country also a hub in Dubai which would be utilized for safe and accelerated delivery of up to 50% of medicine. The project will also include monitoring of the distribution activities and the supported hospitals through WHO designated monitoring PMU Provincial officer on a monthly basis. ltbrgtltbrgtlt/pgtltp class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justifytext-justify:inter-ideograph"gtTo
address this, the ICRC stepped in to provide operational support for hospitals
previously funded directly by the previous government (NON-SEHATMANDI
Hospitals). ICRC's supported 33 hospitals with a collective capacity
of 7890

inpatient beds. Notably, these hospitals predominantly serve as major
specialty and referral centers, extending healthcare services, including women
and childcare, and have provided services to a quarter of the country's
population.ltbrgtltbrgt


lt/pgtltp class="MsoNormal"gtAll types of kits mentioned in the BoQ are available either
in country or in WHO Dubai Hub. Who already starting flying and shipping
several shipments from Dubai Hub. It is worth mentioning that kits will cover
around 60% of the needs of the project hospitals including the most critical
activities likes surgeries, deliveries, Caesarean Sections and life saving
medical interventions. ltspan style="font-size: 14px"gtWHO will start immediately procurement of the loose
medicines as per the BoQ shared. It is expected to take 2 months to receive
those items.lt/spangtltspan style="font-size: 14px"gt lt/spangtlt/pgtltp class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justifytext-justify:inter-ideograph"gt





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