After months of uncertainty and the health system pushed to the brink of collapse, HealthNet TPO has secured funding for the provision of healthcare services in four provinces of Afghanistan.
Ongoing humanitarian crisis
The people of Afghanistan continue to face immense challenges as the unprecedented humanitarian crisis pushes the country’s health system, economy, education and social services to the brink of collapse. It is estimated that a staggering 90% of the population have fallen below the poverty level. According to the United Nations more than half of the country’s 39 million people suffer extreme hunger and as families can barely afford to by food, more than one million children are threatened with starvation. An extremely cold winter and the continued threat of COVID-19 all take their toll on the population that has endured so much over the past six months.
The loss of international funding threatened the continuation of health services, as hospitals and health facilities were pushed to breaking point and the health system faced collapse. Our teams in Afghanistan have worked tirelessly to mitigate the impact of the crisis and ensure that health services could continue and hospitals stay open even without funding. Our programmes on health, nutrition, mental health and psychosocial support, COVID-19 response, control of communicable diseases, health response to gender-based violence and emergency humanitarian response have all continued, whilst we worked hard to secure funding.
Funding secured for health services with UNICEF and WHO
Funding for the provision of healthcare services has now been secured as contracts were signed with UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Supporting services until the end of June 2022, these funds from the UN organisations originate from the World Bank managed Afghan Rehabilitation Trust Fund. They will support our existing health clinics, provincial and regional hospitals under the basic package of health services (BPHS) and essential package of hospital services (EPHS). It will allow the continuation of services in Laghman, Kunar and Nangarhar provinces. In the latter, HealthNet TPO has taken over all facilities. HealthNet TPO will also expand its services to Khost province, where we will work closely with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on maternal care. This will allow HealthNet TPO to strengthen health services and reach even more vulnerable people with access to basic and specialised care. With the additional services, HealthNet TPO will now have over 5,000 employees working across the four provinces.
The security of funding for the first half of 2022 is welcome relief for our staff who are happy that the services they have worked so hard to continue will now receive financial security and empty supply cupboards can be restocked. After months of working with no salaries, our staff will also receive back payments for the period until the end of June as paused payments have partially resumed with regards to 2021. For many, it will allow them to once again afford basic amenities for their families, including food and fuel.
Support for COVID-19 services
HealthNet TPO continues to support the Afghan-Japan hospital in Kabul, one of only five hospitals offering treatment for COVID-19 in the country and the only COVID-19 hospital in Kabul. With 100 beds, the hospital is an essential referral hospital for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For the past few months our staff have persisted to secure additional funding for the Afghan-Japan Hospital and other HealthNet TPO-supported COVID-19 hospitals in the country. HealthNet TPO has secured funding from UNICEF, who will cover the costs and salaries for the period September to October 2021, and Jhpiego under USAID funding, for the period November to January 2022. A contract with the WHO has also been signed for the period February to June 2022, with support from the EU. Services are finally returning to normal within the Afghan-Japan hospital. The WHO will also fund the Nangarhar COVID-19 hospital until the end of 2022.
Looking forward
The international donor community is discussing the continuation of support to the healthcare system after June 2022 and HealthNet TPO will continue to push for the allocation of funds towards donors like the EU and Dutch Government, in coordination with partner organisations. There will be new contracts for hospitals and health centres beyond June 2022, which will be finalised in the coming months.
As a return to almost normal services in Afghanistan can resume, the effect of the crisis on the health system and on the people of Afghanistan is immense. As the population is plunged into poverty, access to adequate health services for all, including the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities, has never been more important. Please donate to HealthNet TPO today.
