Estonia Extends Mission of Health Care Expert in Afghanistan
15.02.2010
The Foreign Ministry is extending the mission of health care expert
Anu Raisma, who works to co-ordinate development co-operation in
Helmand Province in Afghanistan, by half a year to the end of July this
year.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that Afghanistan is still one of
the primary destinations for Estonian development co-operation and
among our aid projects, health care is in a crucial position because it
allows for actual improvement of the standard of living in Afghanistan.
"With its aid projects in Afghanistan, Estonia has focused on building
up the medical system in Helmand Province. As a result of the work of
the health care expert, our health care aid project has been able to
support the development of medical care in Helmand," said the foreign
minister. "However, there is still much to be done. The mortality rate
among women and children is still tragically high. In Helmand Province,
which has a population comparable to that of Estonia, there are only
slightly more than 1300 people in the health care sector and fewer than
100 of them are doctors," Paet noted.
The primary responsibility of the Estonian health care expert is
co-ordinating the building up of Helmand Province’s network of medical
establishments, emergency medical service, and other elements of the
health care sector.
Anu Raisma, a member of the NPO Mondo, has long-time experience in
the health care sector and has participated in missions in various
crisis areas in Indonesia and Pakistan under the auspices of the
Estonian Disaster Relief Team. Raisma has been a member of the Disaster
Relief Team since 1999.
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. Prior to
March 2009 the Estonian health care expert in Afghanistan was Argo
Parts.
There are about 1.4 million people living in Helmand Province and
fewer than 100 doctors. There are medical aid stations in the larger
centrums of the region such as Musa Oala, Kajaki, Sangin and Naw Zad,
but these are merely primary health care stations, and many of them
lack a fully trained doctor.
Afghanistan has been one of Estonia’s priority partners for
co-operation development since 2006. Afghanistan is one of the poorest
countries on earth. A large part of the country’s population lives in
extreme poverty, especially women and children. Close to 70% of the
people are illiterate and 46% of Afghan children lack access to
education. Developing at its current rate, Afghanistan will have
difficulties achieving the UN Millennium development Goals.
