Achieving maternal and child health gains in Afghanistan: a Countdown to 2015 country case study by Akseer et al., 2016. Lancet Glob Health 2016;4:e395-413

Abstract

Akseer and her colleagues recently published a seminal paper in the Lancet Global Health that adds to the compelling evidence of progress in reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) in the past few decades, even in countries such as Afghanistan that are burdened by chronic conflict, rampant poverty and large health inequalities (1). The article highlights how Afghanistan confronted challenges of a fragmented, deteriorating and gender segregated health system established by the fundamentalist Taliban regime during their reign between 1994 and 2001, and continued insecurity and disruptions from frequent insurgencies by investing in effective policies and programs for RMNCH and nutrition. The main strategy adopted was an emergency approach almost exclusively financed by official development assistance which prioritized contracts to large national and international Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) to support a surge in human resource development immediately after the ousting of the Taliban through training and deployment of community health workers, nurses, midwives and general physicians, and aggressive acceleration in national immunization programs.