Many Afghans Have No Access to Health Facilities

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Afghan Public Health Minister Suraya Dalil said the despite positive sign of a major decrease in mother and child mortality rates, many Afghan citizens still have no access to basic health facilities.

Speaking at a ceremony at the Ministry of Public Health to mark World Health Day, Dalil stressed that while maternity death rates have tremendously decreased compared to last year, the efforts to improve health care should not diminish as with other sectors of society.

"We have to be concerned about health care, economy, and all social and cultural dimensions," Dalil said at the ceremony on Saturday.

She said providing quality health services for the elderly of Afghanistan is one the Ministry's top priorities.

"We should know that elderly citizens are a valuable section of our society," she said.

World Health Organisation (WHO) representative Dr Ahmad Shoudul also emphasised the importance of providing better health care for Afghanistan's senior citizens in his speech.

"As we see more mothers surviving, we see families thriving. Where we see strong families with formidable Afghan values we see elders in honorable positions, respected, and well taken care of. So we want to provide better health care service for Afghans to live longer," he said at the ceremony.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health called on government and international community to continue to support better health care services throughout Afghanistan, especially to reach those who have no access to health facilities.

World Health Day is observed every year on April 7, under the sponsorship of WHO.