ECHO Delegation Visits Kabul Surgical Centre
This week, a delegation from the European Commission’s Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) visited EMERGENCY’s Surgical Centre in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The representatives included Andreas Papacostantinou, Director ECHO Neighbourhood, Middle East, South-West and Central Asia; Patrice Lenormand, Head of Unit, South-West Asia and Arabian Peninsula; and Ilan Masson, Desk Officer Afghanistan.
The health sector is important both for addressing the immediate needs of the Afghan people, and for fostering long-term, sustainable progress in Afghanistan. As the country emerges from decades of war, it is crucial to promote a united and coordinated healthcare model that remains adaptable to changing local needs.
“At the height of hostilities, we were only able to admit the most urgent war surgery patients to our hospitals in Kabul and Helmand. In the last few years, we have been able to expand admission criteria to accept more and more civilian trauma cases,” reports Zabiullah, Head Nurse at the Kabul Surgical Centre. “In Kabul however, war-related trauma injuries, such as from an anti-personnel landmine explosions, still make up more than 55 per cent of admissions.”
Although it is nearly three years since the formal end of conflict in Afghanistan, violence continues to have a significant impact on the civilian population, particularly in areas like Kabul. In the first third of 2024, EMERGENCY’s Surgical Centres in the country – in Kabul, Helmand, and the Panjshir valley – treated more than 200 victims of explosive violence, nearly half under the age of 18.
Access to care is low across the country. A multi-year economic crisis has hindered many Afghans’ ability to afford care, while entire communities are physically isolated from care facilities due to geography and the absence of safe modes of transport.
Afghan women must also be meaningfully included in humanitarian aid delivery. Their participation in the health sector is critical, especially for women and girls.
“As these years continue to be marked not by active war but instead by war’s violent legacy, as well as by extreme economic and humanitarian crises, the dedicated and coordinated support of humanitarian organisations is critical for the health and wellbeing of all Afghan people,” comments Stefano Smirnov, EMERGENCY’s Deputy Country Director in Afghanistan. “We welcome the recent visit by ECHO representatives and the European Commission’s ongoing support for our work in Afghanistan.”
—
Present in Afghanistan since 1999, EMERGENCY has provided free, high-quality care to more than 8.5 million people in the country.
For more information about access to care in Afghanistan, read our 2023 report:
Latest updates
Paediatric Laparoscopy Surgery and Training Programme Launched in Uganda
Wednesday, November 27, 2024