Press Release
UNFPA Opens Emergency Mobile Hospital in Kabul to Ensure Safe Delivery and Save Afghan Women's Lives
16 August 2002
UNITED NATIONS, New York – A 72-bed Danish Emergency Mobile Hospital, equipped with two operating theatres to deal with all obstetric emergencies, will open in northern Kabul next week with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The hospital will replace the 52-bed capacity of Khair Khana Maternity Hospital while it undergoes extensive rehabilitation over the next eight months.
The mobile hospital was flown in from Copenhagen in response to a request by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health to service the reproductive health needs of the area’s growing population of 700,000. The unique modular medical facility can be configured to accommodate different types of medical needs. It was previously deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to Gujarat, India, after last year’s earthquake.
“Afghan women urgently need access to reproductive health care services,” said Thoraya Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA. “This hospital is one small step towards saving the lives of countless women and children.”
Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios, with 1,700 deaths per 100,000 live births. Most medical facilities are run down and in dire need of trained personnel. Dr. Mahroof Nadim, director of the Khair Khana Hospital, and Danish trauma surgeon, Dr. Finn Warburg, will jointly run the mobile hospital. Afghan medical personnel will have a chance to work in all areas of the hospital and receive training from their Danish colleagues.
“I feel confident that this partnership will upgrade the skills of my staff and we will all work together to reduce maternal and infant mortality and to serve Kabul better every day,” said Dr. Nadim.
Eight Danish doctors, nurses and technicians, together with 100 Afghan medical personnel from Khair Khana Hospital, will staff the mobile hospital.
“We expect to handle 20 to 30 births every day, as well as about 2,000 medical inquiries,” stated Dr. Warburg. “We will be operational 24 hours a day and operate the emergency room, surgical theatres and maternity ward around the clock.”
The mobile hospital was procured by UNFPA with support from the Governments of Luxembourg, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway. The Danish Government is also independently funding the project.
Patients from the Khair Khana hospital will be transferred to the mobile hospital this weekend. The mobile hospital is ready to handle complicated pregnancies and births and will also provide treatment for reproductive tract and sexually transmitted infections.
UNFPA is participating in Afghanistan's reconstruction as part of the integrated United Nations assistance mission. Priorities identified together with the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Women's Affairs include strengthening maternal health services and girls' education, with an initial focus on rebuilding health and education infrastructure.
Contact Information:
Abubakar Dungus
Tel.: +1 (212) 297-5031
Email: dungus@unfpa.org
Micol Zarb
Tel.: +1 212 297 5042
Email: zarb@unfpa.org
