Afghanistan Watch: Independent study shows strong gains in Afghan health

April 26, 2007

Independent study shows strong gains in Afghan health

The World Bank announced today that the preliminary findings of a Johns Hopkins University (JHU) household survey suggests that infant mortality rates dropped from 165 per 1,000 live births in 2001 to 135 per 1,000 live births in 2006 -- meaning that 40,000 fewer infants are dying each year now compared to when the Taliban were in power.

That's a lot of lives saved. And the number is significantly higher, since health care for adults has improved markedly as well. A parallel study assessing Afghanistan's health facilities, and observed a "25 percent improvement in overall quality of health services since 2004." The Hopkins assessment "surveyed more than 600 health facilities each year since 2004 and used a Balance Score Card (BSC) to measure different aspects of quality of services (and) found improvements in virtually all aspects of care in almost every province."

Access to care also improved substantially: in its survey of 8,000+ households nationwide, Hopkins found that "the proportion of women receiving antenatal care increased from 5 percent in 2003 to 30 percent in 2006" and "the proportion of pregnant women who received attendance by a skilled health worker increased 5 percent to nearly 19 percent." MORE

The World Bank's press release noted that there is still a long way to go, and noted that the Ministry of Public Health is taking a number of steps:

Increasing the number of health facilities with female staff
Establishing sub-centers in remote and rural areas
Deploying mobile teams to conduct clinics in under-served areas
Training and deploying community health workers to encourage and educate women about using health services
Strengthening and expansion of community midwifery education training courses

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