24 November 2024, Cairo/Kabul – WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy recently concluded a 3-day visit to Afghanistan where she met with the country’s de facto authorities, health officials and humanitarian partners to discuss critical health priorities. Central to the discussions were Afghanistan’s efforts to eradicate polio, promote equitable access to quality health care, address substance use disorders and invest in a sustainable health workforce.
During her visit, Dr Balkhy travelled to Mazar-e-Sharif in the country’s northern region, where she inaugurated the Balkh 50-bed Women and Children Drug Addiction Treatment Centre, one of 12 drug addiction treatment centres receiving vital support from WHO and partners. She also visited the 50-bed Infectious Diseases Hospital, interacting with patients and health workers, where she stressed the critical importance of enhancing medical staff capacities and improving accessibility to health care services for vulnerable populations throughout Afghanistan.
Substance use is a growing public health challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and in Afghanistan particularly. With more than 4 million people in the country struggling with substance use disorders, there is an urgent need for focused actions and global support. To address this urgent issue WHO, together with its partners, aims to reduce morbidity, mortality and the social costs associated with substance use disorders through contextualized, evidence-based public health interventions.
Dr Balkhy highlighted WHO’s commitment to providing support to people with substance use disorders, and ensuring their full integration into the community.
“The issue of addiction in Afghanistan is a very large one. In line with my regional priorities, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure we can provide the help and support needed to make sure that these patients have a safe track back into normal life and are fully integrated within their communities,” said Dr Balkhy.
“Together with the country’s health authorities and our partners, we can make this happen and ensure a better and healthier life for the people of Afghanistan.”
Dr Balkhy remarked that most of the patients she visited in the infectious disease hospital in Balkh suffered from vaccine preventable diseases such as tetanus, meningitis with tuberculosis, and hepatic failure and liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis B, making greater efforts to ensure increased vaccine take-up and Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) coverage essential. To this end, she called for increased advocacy and awareness among patients visiting the hospital and their wider communities about the importance of routine EPI.
During her engagements on polio eradication, Dr Balkhy and other representatives from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) underscored the global commitment to end polio and stressed the need for renewed political and administrative commitments and stronger collaboration to finally interrupt transmission of wild poliovirus.
“These important country visits offer a unique opportunity for global and regional leaders to strengthen partnerships with national polio programmes, reinforce accountability and demonstrate that global eradication is within reach. Afghanistan’s commitment to stopping the current polio outbreak in the south and improving vaccination is vital to achieving this goal,” said Dr Balkhy .
Recognizing the criticality of close coordination on polio eradication between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which form a single epidemiological bloc, and the need for broader bilateral collaboration on other health priorities, Dr Balkhy is facilitating a health dialogue between the countries with the engagement and support of critical national leadership in both countries.
In her meeting with UN agency representatives in Afghanistan, Dr Balkhy emphasized “health in all agencies” and the strategic integration of health into development efforts, highlighting the need for unified action to tackle Afghanistan’s critical health challenges. This engagement is part of WHO’s commitment to fostering partnerships that drive impactful, sustainable health outcomes for communities across the country.
Recognizing the grave concerns about the impact of restrictions on access to formal education for female health workers on the ability to maintain health service delivery, Dr Balkhy reiterated her active determination to advocate for female education and rights as part of overall efforts to advance Afghanistan’s health agenda.
The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is one of the world’s most severe, with some of the highest levels of food insecurity globally. Drought, displacement and poverty persist, while natural disasters exacerbate the situation. Humanitarian needs have surged, with the number of people in need rising from 18.4 million in mid-2021 to approximately 23.7 million in 2024. Of these, about 17.9 million urgently require health assistance.
We must not forget the people of Afghanistan.
