Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Laurence D. Laumonier-Ickx, MSH Boston/Center for Health Outcomes, Management Sciences for Health/Blaison-Gohier (France), 784 Memorial Drive, Boston, MA 02139, 617-250-9500, LLICKX@MSH.ORG

When the Taliban were forced out of Kabul in November 2001, much of Afghanistan, including its health infrastructure, lay in ruins. The Afghan MOH was confronted with an enormous challenge, facing some of the worst health indicators in the world. With international support, the MOH developed an ambitious plan and then implemented it throughout the country. A consensus was reached on a “Basic Package of Health Services” (BPHS) to be made available to all Afghans, regardless of where they lived or what ethnic group they belonged to. The package would consist of the most important interventions needed to reduce maternal and child mortality. Since there were few functioning government health facilities, and most government health workers had either died or gone into exile during 23 years of war, it was decided to rely on NGOs (both Afghan and foreign) to directly provide the BPHS to the population. The MOH would focus on coordination, standard-setting, quality assurance, and technical support. NGOs were contracted to deliver the Basic Package to defined populations in Afghanistan's 28 provinces, using funding from 3 major donors—the World Bank, the European Union, and USAID. Between 2002 and 2006 the proportion of Afghans receiving the BPHS increased from approximately 7% to more than 80%. During this period, thousands of CHSs were trained and deployed, so that even remote communities had access to someone trained to deal with diarrhea and pneumonia who and could also provide basic health education regarding nutrition, hygiene, etc.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify 1 challenge in the planning and implementation stage of rebuilding health systems in war-torn countries.
• Describe how between 2002 and 2006 the proportion of Afghans receiving the BPHS increased from approximately 7% to more than 80%.

Keywords: War, International Public Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

Handout (.ppt format, 862.5 kb)

Recorded presentation