The oxygen delivery system of the central hospital of Helmand
Province in Afghanistan, which Estonia helped the hospital procure,
began functioning this week. Bost Hospital is the best and biggest
hospital in Helmand Province, with beds for 150 patients and 34 doctors
on staff. Together with out-patients, the hospital helps almost 300
people a day. The first patient to be treated with the oxygen delivery
system was a small Afghan boy.
The Estonian health care expert
Anu Raisma stated that Estonia’s aid to the Helmand Province central
hospital was urgently needed, and the newly installed oxygen delivery
system will significantly raise the quality of treatment. “The medical
equipment that Estonia procured is very important for the people of
Afghanistan. It will help to create more decent conditions for the
impoverished patients and make medical care accessible for more and
more Afghans,” said Anu Raisma.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet
said that Afghanistan is the primary target for Estonia’s development
co-operation and that developing the health care sector is a priority
for aid projects. “Helping to develop the health care system can allow
the Afghans to truly improve their standard of living,” said Paet. “Our
goal is to help medical care in Helmand evolve, so that it would be
possible to do a better job saving the lives of the sick or those
injured in accidents or attacks. However, there is still a lot to be
done. For example, the mortality rate for mothers and children is,
regardless of the progress made so far, still tragically high,” said
Foreign Minister Paet.
Within the framework of a project of
the non-profit organisation Mondo in 2008, the Foreign Ministry
supported the acquisition of an oxygen delivery system, an autoclave,
gurneys, wheelchairs, aspirators, throat masks, sterilisers, splints,
crutches, and an ultrasound machine for the central hospital of Helmand
Province.
Estonia supported the paediatric ward of the Helmand
central hospital in 2007 with 1.1 million kroons, which was used to
purchase portable oxygen generators and warming beds for underweight
and premature infants. At the beginning of 2008, Estonia helped obtain
diesel fuel for Bost Hospital’s electrical generator, which allowed for
hospital rooms to be lit and heated and for medical equipment to
continue running during the winter months.
Since March 2008,
an Estonian health care expert has been working in the city of Lashkar
Gah in Helmand Province. The expert implements Estonia’s development
co-operation project on location and consults with the board of the
United Kingdom’s development team and Helmand’s provincial government
about developing the health care system.
Afghanistan is one of
the poorest countries in the world. A large part of the country’s
population lives in extreme poverty. Close to 70% of the people are
illiterate and 46% of Afghan children lack access to education.
Afghanistan
is one of Estonia’s priority partner countries for development
co-operation. Additional information on Estonia’s contributions to the
reconstruction of Afghanistan: http://www.vm.ee/eng/kat_674/9517.html.
