The World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan has received over US$ 6.3 million in humanitarian funding from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ (OCHA) Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) to expand health services for the country’s most vulnerable communities.
Of this support, the CERF allocation of US$ 4.98 million as part of its underfunded emergencies window will allow WHO to operate 42 primary health care centres (PHCs), deploy 15 surveillance support teams (SSTs) and procure and deliver 249 primary health care kits to 13 provinces. The AHF grant of US$ 1.39 million will support 6 sub-health centres, 10 SSTs and 13 inpatient therapeutic feeding centres, providing lifesaving care for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 4 provinces with the greatest needs.
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At a WHO-supported clinic on the Islam Qala border, health professionals provide emergency medical care to a returnee child. Photo credit: WHO Afghanistan
The CERF and AHF contributions arrive at a time when Afghanistan’s health system faces severe pressure, with almost 1 in 3 people unable to access even the most basic care.
“WHO welcomes the CERF and AHF allocations which will help prevent avoidable deaths, strengthen our ability to respond to disease outbreaks and reach vulnerability communities at high risk, especially women and children affected by economic and environmental crises, forced returns and displacement. Together, these funds make it possible for WHO to expand its reach and serve more people in more places,” said WHO Representative in Afghanistan Dr Edwin Ceniza Salvador.
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The combined projects will directly benefit more than 747 000 people, while improving outbreak control measures will indirectly benefit an additional 2.4 million through enhanced health infrastructure.
“WHO’s work is extremely important in Afghanistan where both CERF and AHF have facilitated the scaling up of its lifesaving interventions,” said Deputy Head of OCHA Afghanistan Kate Carey. “These vital allocations come at a time when an unprecedented number of Afghans are returning from the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, and large parts of country face the prospect of severe drought.”
Backed by CERF and AHF, the projects will strengthen Afghanistan’s health system by bringing essential primary health care to vulnerable communities, ensuring timely treatment for children suffering from malnutrition and improving disease surveillance and outbreak response. These essential services aim to prevent illness and save lives, particularly in communities where access to health care is often too distant or hard to reach.
