Walking to the
north east corner of Musa Qaleh through the Bazaar and past the
District Centre Police Station, that while still under
construction is nearing completion; you arrive at the Community
Healthcare Centre. On today’s visit is a British Army Medic
wanting to find out if there is any equipment she can help supply
the Centre with.
The cream painted building with a silver corrugated iron roof was
refurbished with the help of the British Forces Military
Stabilisation Support Team in 2008 on Herrick 9. During this
refurbishment, using local contractors, the roof was replaced and
a new water supply was installed in the building. Inside the
building was brightened up with a fresh coat of paint. Outside a
new water tower was built to supply the needs off the Health
Centre and the make shift Mosque that has grown on the ground
across the road, the designated site for the towns new Mosque.
Entering the Healthcare centre, though the walls are still bright
in their grey and white livery, there is the ever present layer of
dust on the floor. Looking around the centre it has everything you
might expect to find from a Health Centre in the UK. A waiting
room and consulting rooms. What you might not find in the UK in
you local GP’s surgery or Health Centre is an area for beds so
patients with medical requirements that don’t need them to travel
to the hospital in Lashkar Gah can be treated in Musa Qaleh, and a
pharmacy.
In one of the consulting rooms Dr Abdul Hardimajad is ending a
consultation with a patient; he is one of two doctors in the
centre that are supported by four nurses. ‘In a month we treat
over 2500 people patients here. We get our medical supplies from
Lashkar Gah every month. One of the Doctors has to go the Lashkar
Gah to pass on our reports and collect our medicines.’
A sign that Afghanistan’s Ministry Of Health and Care is
supporting Musa Qaleh, is given by Dr Abdul “We get all our
supplies from the Ministry of Health and Care in Kabul. We are not
faced with any problems when we are getting our supplies; we are
getting them very easily.
"The British forces
helped build the centre the District Governor is also doing a good
job because he is always coming here and talking with us and
asking what problems we have. Right now this is a clinic but the
Governor wants to change it to a hospital so he is busy on that
project at the moment. The main problem is that right now the only
body that can change this unit from a clinic to a hospital is the
Ministry of Health and Care. The second problem is that the clinic
is a bit small so we will need more rooms for the patients so
that’s why we can’t change this place to a hospital."
This is not the only healthcare provider in Musa Qaleh, Mike
McKie the Foreign Office Stabilisation Officer explains, ‘In terms
of healthcare the people have significant access to public and
privately provided health care, there are currently two doctors in
the government run health facility and a myriad of other services
in the Bazaar. Unfortunately they are a bit expensive at this time
but never the less the population will seek those opportunities. I
hasten to add, for critical health needs the UK forces have never
let the population down and have always been an active part in
supporting Musa Qaleh’s needs.
He continues, ‘When we talk about the health situation here, the
developing health infrastructure is challenged by the need for
female health practitioners, midwifery is a critical need.
Throughout the years of hostilities in Afghanistan sufficient
trained woman have not been available, this is because the
opportunity for women to gain an education has not been afforded,
particularly during the time under the Taliban. There seems to be
a realisation in the population that educating the girls will
ultimately provide them the kind of health services they expect to
be provided by a health centre. It has been a long process in the
learning but this is forthcoming.’
ENDS
Contacts:
Ministry of Defence
NDS.MOD@coi.gsi.gov.uk