Afghanistan Times
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By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) on Monday said that lack of budget is the main factor behind low-quality of healthcare services in Afghanistan.
Ahmad Jan Naeen, the Deputy Minister of Public Health, said that based on the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration, every country should allocate 15 percent of its national budget to provision of healthcare services. “However, in Afghanistan only four percent of the national budget is allocated to healthcare services,” he added.
Speaking at a gathering under the title of “Fifth Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Convention to mark World Quality Day” held by the French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC), Naeen said: “in a bid to gain millennium goals and provide quality healthcare services, $64 should be allocated for each individual annually. However, in Afghanistan the amount is $11 to $12 for each individual.”
He said that underdeveloped and war-hit countries cannot provide quality healthcare services to their people, because they don’t have enough budget and they mostly rely on donations.
“With its current budget, the MoPH cannot even catch up with the standard of healthcare quality in neighboring countries,” he added. However, he said that Afghanistan has made tangible achievements in the area of healthcare services since 2001.
He said that the MoPH is working on a program to send diagnosticians for training abroad and import high quality medicines.
Naeen applauded FMIC’s performances in the past and said that providing quality healthcare services to people is in top priority of the government.
President of La Chaine de L’ Espoir, Eric Cheysson, commended FMIC’s management for conducting an event of an international standard. He said that La Chaine de L’ Espoir is committed to support FMIC in its initiatives to deliver quality health services.
It is pertained to mention that World Quality Day was introduced in 1990 to increase awareness of quality internationally. It encourages individuals and organizations to focus on the importance of quality growth and prosperity and demonstrate their commitment to quality excellence
