The crisis of maternal and child health in Afghanistan

Abstract

In the past two decades, despite ongoing war, international development assistance and funding, channelled through Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health, expanded access to primary care, improved government hospitals, and trained thousands of health-care providers in Afghanistan, especially women. Accompanying technical assistance strengthened the capacity of Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health to develop policy, design requirements for and oversee services provided by international and national non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and initiate surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation systems.