Afghanistan

Attacks on Health Facilities, Staff, Patients

Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Attacks on medical facilities, health workers, and patients have occurred in at least 17 countries undergoing conflict and civil unrest since January 2014, Human Rights Watch and the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition said in a joint report issued today. The report was released at the annual meeting of health ministers from around the world in Geneva from May 18-26, 2015. The 22-page report, “Attacks on Health: Global Report,” highlights recent attacks in countries around the world.

Eradicating Polio Requires Protecting Vaccinators

Monday, April 20, 2015
An increasingly alarming roadblock to eradicating polio is the rise in attacks on health care workers employed as vaccinators. In 2013-2014, 89 polio workers and their police escorts were killed in Pakistan and Nigeria. What’s most striking about this figure is that it exceeds the estimated number of actual deaths from polio; the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) estimated that between 15 and 30 people died from the disease in 2014.

For World Health Worker Week 2015, Coalition Advocates Speak on the Need to Protect Health Workers and #SafeguardHealth

Friday, April 10, 2015
During World Health Worker Week 2015 (April 5-11), the global community came together to recognize the heroic and life-saving services provided by health workers around the world, and collectively advocate for health workforce strengthening to be a core priority in both national and global health agendas. At the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, several of our members—spanning diverse continents, languages, and focus areas—reminded us this week that huge gaps remain in ensuring health workers are safe, especially during times of armed conflict and political unrest.

Lessons in Post-Conflict Recovery: Developing a Health Workforce in Afghanistan and South Sudan

Friday, February 27, 2015
The key element of any health system is the people who run it. Nowhere is this more true than in countries in the midst of, or recovering from, conflict. Indirect or direct threats faced by health workers exacerbate a population’s challenges in seeking and receiving health care. In conflict settings, health workers may be forced to flee to safe havens as refugees, internally displaced people, or leave the country as migrants—if they have the means to do so.

Afghanistan: Protecting Medical Services Remains as Important as Ever

Tuesday, October 28, 2014
The ICRC has observed an increased number of attacks on medical personnel in Afghanistan in the past few months. Civilians have been prevented from reaching health facilities during the fighting. "We are concerned by the effects the increased fighting in the summer had on civilians and medical services," said Anthony Dalziel, the ICRC's head of operations for South Asia. "In a volatile environment such as the one in Afghanistan, it is especially important that people providing or receiving medical attention be spared at all times."

Intrusion into a Health Facility: Health Workers and Health Facilities Must Be Protected in Afghanistan

Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Since January 2014, 140 security incidents have directly harmed NGOs. ACBAR calls upon all parties to the Afghan conflict to end all forms of violence against humanitarian actors—including NGOs and their employees. ACBAR—the Agency Coordinating Body of Afghan Relief & Development—has been aggrieved to hear of the intrusion into a health facility providing essential assistance to patients.

Violence against Aid Workers and Facilities Must End

Sunday, August 24, 2014
The situation for Afghans, as well as for aid workers, remains precarious, but aid workers keep implementing projects for the Afghan people. Insecurity represents a major challenge in Afghanistan for civilians and aid workers. Indiscriminate attacks, military operations affecting civilians as well as health providers, and overall instability were on the rise in the six first months of 2014.

Amid Afghanistan's Escalating War, a Battle to Beat Polio

Thursday, August 21, 2014
Tens of thousands of volunteers fanned out across Afghanistan this week, braving deteriorating security and distrusting parents to administer two chilled drops of the oral polio vaccine each to millions of children. Keeping the highly infectious polio disease in check in any country is a daunting task. But in a nation where Taliban militants are fast gaining ground against government forces, it's also a dangerous one.

Pages