Save Afghan Women & Children with Health Care

Following is a story as reported by a female nurse at one of AIL’s clinics about a woman that came to the clinic for treatment after being injured while working with her husband on their house.

One day in early July a woman was brought to the clinic by her husband and her mother. The woman said “My husband was building rooms on our house this morning, and I was helping when suddenly a brick dropped on my head, and my head was broken. My mother put black tea on the wound area to stop the bleeding, but the bleeding did not stop. My husband brought me to the clinic.” A female nurse dressed the injured area with anti-septic liquid and then sent the woman to the OPD room for examination and advised her to come to the clinic to have her dressings changed every other day. The OPD doctors asked her about her mental condition (did she have vomiting or vertigo), and she had no problems. She was in good condition, and was then discharged from the clinic. The woman and her family thanked AIL and the health staff.

Creating Hope International’s partner, the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), has 3 rural health clinics—Imam Shish Nur and Jagartan Clinics in Herat Province and Mir Bacha Kot Clinic in Kabul Province. From January through June 2008, AIL’s three clinics:

- treated 63,345 total patients - treated 9,347 reproductive health patients - vaccinated 17,977 women and children - gave health education lessons to 31,563 women and children - treated 182 children for malnutrition - held reproductive health and women’s health workshops for 697 women

Nearly all of the patients treated at AIL’s 3 rural clinics are women and children. In the first 6 months of 2008, the rural clinics treated 12,258 more patients than in the same time period during 2007.

The Community Health Worker (CHW) program in the Herat clinics continues to be a great in building the “health capacity” of the rural communities where the CHWs work. In the first six months of 2008, CHWs visited 39,781 families and provided health services to 18,791 patients. During each visit, CHWs also give health education information to the families. Since the Afghan government recently said that no fees could be charged at clinics resulting in many more patients, most of whom are not ill, coming to the clinics, the CHW program will continue to be helpful in alleviating the patient load at the clinics.

Following is a story demonstrating the dedication of the clinic staff and the benefit the clinic’s services are bringing to those who live in rural areas:

Pharmacist of Iman Shish Nur Clinic in Herat said: “The 12th of January was a cold and snowy day; with a lot of problems when we arrived at the clinic. When the people who had been to the clinic before saw us, they were happy. They said ‘we didn’t think that you come to the clinic.’ That day we visited more than 50 patients. It was very helpful for the people because this clinic is their only hope.”