Ministry of Public Health (Afghanistan)
Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan (Dari: وزارت صحت عامه افغانستان, Pashto: د افغانستان د عامې روغتیا وزارت) is the ministry of the government of Afghanistan which deals with matters concerning the health of Afghanistan's population. As of 2021 the acting minister of Health was Dr. Wahid Majrooh until Taliban Takeover of Kabul.[2][3] The Ministry of Public Health provides an annual report to inform the public of advancements in Afghanistan's health sector.[4]
| (Dari: وزارت صحت عامه افغانستان Pashto: د افغانستان د عامې روغتیا وزارت) | |
.png.webp) Emblem of the Ministry of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
.svg.png.webp) Flag of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Government of Afghanistan |
| Headquarters | Charahi-e-Masoud, Airport Road Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Minister responsible | |
| Deputy Ministers responsible |
|
| Website | http://moph.gov.af/en |
The ministry
Following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan the Ministry of Health, along with the World Health Organization and other technical partners and donors reconstructed the health sector. At the time, at least 70%[5] of the Afghan population was dependent on health services provided by the international community. Almost six million Afghans had no or very little access to medical care. In addition, 50 of the country's 330 districts had no health facilities whatsoever.
The goal of the ministry is to develop the health sector to improve the health of the people of Afghanistan, especially women and children, through implementing the basic package of health services (BPHS) and the essential package of hospital services (EPHS) as the standard, agreed-upon minimum of health care to be provided at each level of the health system. It wants to reduce the high levels of mortality and morbidity by:
- 1) Improving access to quality emergency and routine reproductive and child health services,
- 2) Increasing the coverage and quality of services to prevent and treat communicable diseases and malnutrition among children and adults
- 3) Strengthening institutional development and management at central and provincial levels to ensure the effective and cost-efficient delivery of quality health services and
- 4) Further developing the capacity of health personnel to manage and better deliver quality health services.[6]
Ministers
| Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kubra Noorzai | 1965–1969 | First female minister in Afghanistan |
| Abdul Rauf Mohammad | between 1996–1999 | Acting, under Muhammed Omar |
| Mohammad Abbas Akhund | between 1996–2001 | under Muhammed Omar |
| Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai | between 1996–2001 | Deputy minister, under Muhammed Omar |
| Suhayla Seddiqi | 2001–2004 | |
| Sayed Mohammad Amin Fatimi | 2004–2010 | Was renominated in 2010 but did not receive approval from the Wolesi Jirga |
| Suraya Dalil | 2010–2014 | Initially did not receive approval from the Afghan Parliament and was appointed acting minister before being confirmed in 2012.[3] |
| Ferozuddin Feroz | 2015–2019 | Received formal approval from the Afghanistan Parliament and became the official confirmed minister |
| Ahmad Jawad Osmani | May - December 2020 | Received formal approval from the Afghanistan parliament but was quickly forcefully ousted by then president Ashraf Ghani on corruption charges of the ministry employees. |
| Wahid Majrooh | January 2021-September 2021[7] | Acting minister of health |
| Qalandar Ibad | September 2021–present[8] | Acting minister of health |
References
- "د عامې روغتیا وزارت د مالي او اداري مرستیال د ملي پراختیا ادارې له استازي سره وکتل | د عامې روغتیا وزارت". moph.gov.af.
- "Minister's Biography". Ministry of Public Health Afghanistan. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- "Dalil, Soraya". Afghan Biographies Database. 2014-10-01. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
- "Annual Report - Ministry of Public Health Afghanistan". moph.gov.af. Archived from the original on 2013-09-24.
- US Embassy website Archived 2004-12-20 at the Wayback Machine
- "Vision for Health 2005-2015". Ministry of Health. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
- https://www.dagsavisen.no/nyheter/verden/2021/09/12/helseminister-i-afghanistan-ber-norge-opprettholde-bistanden/. Dagsavisen. Retrieved 12 September 2021. "Han er den eneste statsråden fra Ashraf Ghanis avsatte regjering som fortsatt møter på jobb i Kabul" ["He is the only minister from the Ashraf Ghani Cabinet, that still shows up at work in Kabul"]
- "The Taliban Announce Remaining Cabinet Members". 21 September 2021.
External links
- Ministry of Public Health Afghanistan (MoPH)
- Afghanistan Online's Health Section
- Danish Karokhel, Ezatullah Zawab (June 13, 2003). "Tough Cure for Mental Problems: People with psychological problems are chained up at a holy shrine, hoping traditional methods will cure them". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
The numbers of mentally ill people in Afghanistan have increased over the years of war, famine, and unemployment. At the hospital in Jalalabad, mentally ill patients are housed three or four to a room meant for a single person, while others are chained outside the rooms. Most receive little attention.