Afghanistan: Supporting primary health care for people most in need

Comprehensive health care through coordination and cooperation

We cooperate with different International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners to strengthen the capability of the BHCs to provide comprehensive health-care services. Some of our coordination and cooperation activities include:

• The Norwegian Red Cross plays a vital role by covering operational costs and supplying 60 per cent of the necessary medical supplies through the ICRC’s logistics system. We complement their efforts by providing the remaining 40 per cent of the medical supplies, funding salaries for 48 nutrition staff members and supplying essential nutrition products, medical equipment and other vital material. 

• Additionally, we focus on increasing the technical capacity of ARCS health workers and improving the infrastructure to ensure these BHCs deliver high-quality care. 

• By supporting a network of well-trained midwives, the ARCS, along with the ICRC, have ensured that women have better access for antenatal and postnatal care, obstetrics and gynecology consultations, treatments and referrals.

“The community-level impact of these efforts has been particularly evident in the increased consultations among women and children,” says Gail Corbett, who leads the health programs of the ICRC in Afghanistan.

Building capacity for long-term impact

Technical capacity building and training has a focus on enhancing the long-term impact of the services offered by these health centres. Our efforts include:

• Conducting training sessions on immunization, maternal-child health, mental health and psychosocial support, pharmacy administration, and leadership and management for the staff in the BHCs. 

• Helping BHCs meet their nutrition aid requirements by effectively coordinating with other partners, including UNICEF and the WFP. To support any additional needs, we provide the BHCs with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food. 

• Establishing a network of trained nutrition counsellors to provide consistent guidance, monitoring and support for at-risk individuals and communities. This network plays a critical role in increasing community outreach and awareness, and helps tackle malnutrition more effectively at the grassroots level.

These capacity-building initiatives are designed to enhance the skills, knowledge, and competencies of ARCS health staff, thereby ensuring that they can continue to deliver high-quality, professional health-care services to the Afghan population in areas served by BHCs. 

Ensuring safety of medical workers

Safety of workers and patients remains a concern across Afghanistan and impacts health care delivery. To raise awareness on what respect of the medical mission entails, the ICRC facilitates awareness raising sessions with health workers and those who are known to disrespect health care delivery. The sessions are interactive and assist workers to understand better their role and responsibility to report or de-escalate potential incidents. They also hear how reporting of incidents and trends can support the ICRC and authorities to address the key issues they face in their daily work. 

Despite the myriad of challenges, these health centres continue to support a steady flow of patients, demonstrating their importance in providing essential care to those most in need. In the first two quarters of 2024, a similar number of patients received care and consultations at the BHCs compared with the same period in 2023.