Anabah Surgical and Paediatric Centre

 EMERGENCY’s first medical facility in Afghanistan was in Anabah.

Background

Over the past 40 years Afghanistan has been ravaged by conflict, causing high numbers of civilian casualties; many of whom are killed or injured by explosive devices and landmines. Despite increasing clearance activities, Afghanistan remains one of the world’s most heavily land-mined nations.

Healthcare needs in Afghanistan are further exacerbated by economic crisis and harsh winters causing conditions of starvation. As of 2022, the UN estimated there were over 18 million Afghans with severe or extreme health needs.

A general hospital in the Valley

Over the years, the Surgical Centre has become a full-fledged general hospital: war surgery has been almost totally replaced by general surgery, trauma, internal medicine and paediatrics.

Today, our hospital in the Panjshir Valley is a point of reference for the population of a very large area inhabited by about 250,000 people.

In addition, since 2003, the Anabah Surgical-Paediatric Centre complex also houses the Maternity Center, the only specialised and free maternity centre available in the region. A paediatric outpatient clinic also operates at the center.

Even in 2021, despite the fighting in the Valley, our staff never stopped working, admitting around 1,000 paediatric patients and performing almost 3,000 surgeries.

The Anabah Surgical and Paediatric Centre remains open and committed to continuing operations uninterrupted. 

A centre for specialist trainings

Our hospital in Anabah is formally recognised as a centre of specialist training in general surgery, gynaecology, obstetrics, and paediatrics. This reflects the tireless work of EMERGENCY surgeons and staff over the years to provide free healthcare to the population of the Panjshir Valley, and to train new medical professionals.

First Aid Posts and Primary Healthcare Centres

In order to provide healthcare to those in need beyond urban centres, EMERGENCY established First Aid Posts and Primary Healthcare Centres in the often remote districts in the Panjshir Valley. In these facilities, our local medics provide crucial care to patients. When necessary, patients are tabilized and then transferred to EMERGENCY’s hospital facilities by our ambulance service, which operates 24/7. This wider network of services ensures access to emergency care for those in more isolated regions, cut off for much of the year by snow and a lack of decent road infrastructure.

EMERGENCY’s Surgical and Paediatric Centre in Anabah is funded by the European Union