Afghanistan
UNDP, working in partnership with the Global Fund and national partners, has distributed 6.7 million bed nets to prevent malaria and detected and treated 58,000 smear-positive TB cases.
Key results
In 2015, UNDP Afghanistan became the Principal Recipient of four Global Fund Grants: HIV, TB, malaria and health system strengthening. Working in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, and other national and international partners, UNDP is helping to strengthen the health system by training nurses and improving access to community-based healthcare services. The collection and use of data for monitoring health outcomes is also being improved, including the creation of one national database for health indicators. More than half the population live in areas affected by malaria, with more than 400,000 cases in 2011 alone. To address this, the distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets in all transmission areas is being carried out, awareness campaigns are being run and improvements are being made to monitoring, access to treatment in health facilities and the community.
As injecting drug use is the main driver of the HIV epidemic; the HIV grant is enabling essential prevention services for key populations, focusing specifically on people who inject drugs and prison populations. This includes scaling up prevention services and also expanding services to areas where non currently exist. The country also faces a high-burden of TB with stigma, discrimination and access to services all of particular concern. The pre-existing TB program identified TB case notification and MDR-TB program management as areas for improvement and the grant focuses on key interventions to address these gaps, with special focus on key affected populations.
58,000 new smear-positive TB cases detected and treated
Source: UNDP
791 people currently receiving antiretroviral therapy
Source: UNDP
6.7 million insecticide treated bed nets distributed
Source: UNDP
TB treatment success rate (2015)
Source: World Health Organization
Retention on ART 12 months after starting treatment (2016)
Source: UNAIDS
Training Young Women to Save Lives in Rural Areas
Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the world. In isolated Nuristan province, woman commonly die because basic healthcare is unavailable – either because there are no doctors or because women are not allowed to be treated by a man.
Read more...There are a shortage of nurses in the province and most doctors and nurses from outside are afraid to work there. The solution is to train local people who can then return to their communities. The nursing school set up by UNDP and the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, with funding from the Global Fund, will provide capacity to fill this gap in basic provision. Each nurse receives two years of medical training as well as accommodation, transportation, three meals a day and a nominal living allowance. Once back in their communities, nurses will also be able to pass on important advice to keep women and children healthy. Often enrolling is harder than the actual study as the women face discrimination and are not supposed to live or study away from home.
Maternal mortality rate
Source: World Health Organization
Child mortality rate
Source: World Health Organization
Grant details
