Afghanistan
In 2023, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) continued to support Afghanistan’s struggling health system by providing specialised healthcare across the country. We also launched an emergency response after earthquakes hit Herat province.
Our activities in 2023
emergency room admissions
outpatient consultations
births assisted, including 2640 caesarean sections
surgical interventions
children admitted to inpatient feeding programmes
people started on treatment for tuberculosis
During the year, there was a gradual but stable increase in the number of patients coming to MSF facilities in Afghanistan, largely due to the improved security situation, which made it easier for people to travel. However, many Afghans continue to face huge challenges in accessing care.
In a broken economy, many cannot afford medical assistance. The public health system in Afghanistan has also been under-resourced, under-funded and over-burdened for years, and remains unable to meet people’s needs.
In 2023, MSF teams in Afghanistan witnessed very high bed occupancy rates, reaching 130 per cent to 200 per cent in most facilities.
Nous avons mené neuf projets dans huit provinces, en mettant l'accent sur les soins d'urgence, la chirurgie et la santé maternelle et infantile. Nous avons également mené une réponse d'urgence en octobre, après que quatre tremblements de terre d'une magnitude de 6,3 ont frappé la province d'Herat, faisant plus de plus de 2 000 morts et déplaçant plus de 250 000 personnes. Nous avons distribué des kits d'urgence et aidé à soigner les blessés à l'hôpital régional d'Herat, le principal centre de traitement des victimes du tremblement de terre.
We ran nine projects in eight provinces, maintaining a strong focus on emergency care, surgery, and mother and child health. We also carried out an emergency response in October, after four 6.3 magnitude earthquakes hit Herat province, killing more than 2,000 people and displacing over 250,000. We donated emergency kits and helped treat the wounded at Herat regional hospital, the main treatment facility for earthquake victims.
The situation for women did not improve in 2023. In late December 2022, following the decision by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, also known as the Taliban, to ban women from working for NGOs and to limit their access to higher education opportunities, MSF condemned the gradual erasure of women and girls from public life in the country. In April, the ban was expanded to women working for the UN. In order for essential services to be available to everyone, there must be no constraints on who can deliver them. Women must be allowed to work, and to train as medical professionals.
