Dr Rick Brennan, senior official, Regional Emergency
Director, WHO Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, told journalists on Friday
at bi-weekly UN briefing in Geneva that the agency had a few days supplies
left.
“We have only a few days of supplies left and we’re
exploring all options to bring more medicines into the country,’’ he said.
Pakistan is supporting efforts to fly in humanitarian
supplies, and most likely through the airport in Mazar-i-Sharīi, he said, with
the first flight hopefully leaving in the coming days.
Prior to the attack, WHO had planned three airlifts of
trauma kits, emergency health kits, essential medicines and supplies, but the
items remained grounded due to security and operational issues at the Hamid
Karzai International Airport.
The blasts on Thursday targeted Afghans fleeing the country
and military personnel securing the facility.
More than 160 people were killed, according to media
reports. The Islamic State in Khorosan Province (ISKP) has claimed
responsibility.
Although around 97 per cent of the roughly 2,200 health
facilities in Afghanistan are functioning, they are running short of supplies
to treat people affected by conflict, displacement, drought, malnutrition, and
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Because of security concerns and several other operational
considerations, Kabul airport is not going to be an option for the next week at
least,” Brennan said.
“One of the challenges we have in Afghanistan right now is
there’s no Civil Aviation Authority functioning.
“But we are working with the Pakistanis, particularly in the
context of Mazar-i-Sharif Airport, because they can work with contacts on the
ground to ensure that all the necessary steps to land an aircraft, to land a
cargo aircraft, can be put in place”.
He added that insurance costs for bringing an aircraft into
Afghanistan have “skyrocketed” overnight, reaching prices never seen before.
“We’re trying to jump through that hoop at the moment,” said
Brennan.
“Once we can address that, we will hopefully be airborne in
the next 48 to 72 hours”.
The terrorist attack has accelerated tensions and volatility
in a country where nearly half the population, or 18 million people, were
already dependent on humanitarian relief even before the Taliban seized power.
Asked about the impact the attack had on hospitals in Kabul,
Brennan reported that a WHO partner, the Italian NGO Emergency, which runs a
trauma hospital in the city, has been “overwhelmed” in treating victims, who
reportedly number more than 200.
“Of course, getting access to supplies is urgent, and we
understand that they’ve got great pressure on their supplies right now. So our
proposed air shipment in the next couple of days will be bringing in more trauma
kits,” he said.
Even though Afghanistan falls short of international
standards in availability of doctors and nurses for its population, thousands
of health professionals were also trained during this period, including women
doctors, nurses, midwives and others.
“Already we’re hearing that some female health workers are
not attending work and that there has been a decline in the attendance of women
and children at some facilities.
“This again highlights the need to ensure the availability
of medical supplies to support female health workers in their work and to
encourage families to bring their mothers, females, girls and children to seek
healthcare when they need it,” Brennan said.
On why women health workers were reluctant to go to work,
Brennan said WHO assumed they were being cautious as the agency had not
received any reports about physical or other restrictions blocking women from
their jobs.
Looking ahead, WHO will be working with donors, partners and
the Afghan health authorities in the coming weeks to ensure continued support
for the country’s health system.
“For the past week or so, the eyes of the world have been
focused on that major air operation at Kabul airport.
“But once that evacuation mission ends the enormous humanitarian needs will continue and our work will then enter a new phase, which will bring complexities on a scale that we have not seen before,” Brennan said. NAN
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