Since the middle of May, a surge in Covid-19 cases has overwhelmed Afghanistan’s already over-stretched healthcare system. HealthNet TPO is at the forefront of the crisis, strengthening hospitals’ capacity to treat and support patients, providing vital mental health and psychosocial support for health workers and affected people, and working with communities to prevent the spread of the virus.
Surge in positive cases
As the number of positive Covid-19 cases has surged across Afghanistan since May, hospitals have been overwhelmed with the rapidly increasing number of patients. All hospitals are now struggling with a lack of beds and a lack of oxygen. Ongoing fighting across the country has made the distribution of medical supplies even more complicated.
HealthNet TPO in Afghanistan has worked tirelessly to ensure that Covid-19 hospitals including the Afghan-Japan hospital in Kabul, the largest fully dedicated Covid-19 hospital in Afghanistan, has the capacity to treat the increasing rise in Covid-19 patients, and has installed an oxygen plant so that the hospital has its own supply. However with more patients arriving every day, it has been quickly pushed beyond capacity.
Over the past few weeks, the number of positive cases has doubled, reporting an average of more than 2,000 new cases per day and more than 500 deaths at its peak of this deadly third wave.
Dr. Freba Azizi, Covid-19 Response Manager for HealthNet TPO said:
“We are passing through a very difficult time. Our healthcare system is not strong enough to tackle the ever-critical Covid-19 situation in the country we are facing now. We, the HealthNet TPO team, are dedicatedly working around the clock, day and night, to make sure that patients receive dignified high-quality services in the hospital using available resources. We are in need of more resources to improve and expand our Covid-19 response services to more patients and contribute to reducing morbidity and mortality due to Covid-19 in Afghanistan"
Critical oxygen shortage
At the end of May 2021, HealthNet TPO took over the management and administration of the Afghan-Japan Hospital, increasing its capacity from 100 to 150 beds and ensuring that the hospital was up to standard with adequate supplies to treat the rise in patients. The supply of oxygen remains the biggest concern for this rapidly-worsening third wave of infections. As oxygen manufacturing companies cannot meet the needs of the hospitals, HealthNet TPO has installed oxygen plants at the Afghan-Japan hospital and two other Covid-19 hospitals, ensuring they have their own supply. However, in the Afghan-Japan hospital, the newly installed oxygen plant supplies only enough oxygen for a limited number of beds. The HealthNet TPO team is travelling to oxygen manufacturing companies in Kabul every night, to collect oxygen cylinders at midnight, to supply the remainder of the hospital. Oxygen manufacturing companies cannot meet the needs of the rising number of patients.
Dr. Zalmai Reshtin, the Director of Afghan Japan Hospital expressed:
“First and foremost, let me salute all the doctors and nurses who, risk their lives, and are devotedly providing clinical services to the Covid-19 critical patients round the clock. Our hospital has witnessed ever a high number of cases that need hospitalisation and intensive care. With the resources available, we are struggling to provide high-quality patient-centred services to each of our patients. I would like to assure our people that the HealthNet TPO team is committed and dedicated to providing high-quality services at the hospital. I am requesting our people to please respect Covid-19 preventive and precautionary measures so that the further spread of the virus can be limited, and the available limited resources could be sufficed for the critical patients.”
For the millions of people who have lived through decades of war and who now face rising violence and insecurity across the country, Covid-19 is just one of many challenges in addition to poverty, job insecurity, sexual and gender-based violence and more. Day to day many people leave their house each morning unsure if they will make it home to their families later that day. Many Afghan’s do not have the space to see the severity of Covid-19 and how widely it can spread, when you have so many other dangers in your life, and few are taking the threat of the deadly disease seriously.
As well as strengthening the capacity of health facilities our teams have been working with the community, increasing public awareness of the severity of Covid-19 and promoting good practice to prevent the spread. Our Rapid Response Teams have also been conducting community surveillance and early detection of suspected cases.
Although Covid-19 is, in the first instance, a physical health crisis, it is also become a major mental health crisis, particularly in countries like Afghanistan where people already face trauma from decades of conflict and insecurity. Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services have been at the heart of our response. Our dedicated MHPSS Outreach Teams have been working with communities and staff. Stress management training and psychosocial counselling is available for all frontline health workers. We understand that good mental health is critical to the functioning society, and must be at the front of Afghanistan’s recovery from the pandemic.
We need your support now more than ever at this critical time. Please donate to HealthNet TPO today so that we can continue the fight against Covid-19 in Afghanistan.