[ad_1]
The attack on the approaches to the Kabul airport on Thursday night, which killed dozens of Afghans and 13 US soldiers, exacerbates the logistical challenges facing the WHO in shipping drugs and medical equipment.
“We only have a few days left. We are exploring all possibilities to bring more drugs into the country,” said Richard Brennan, WHO’s Chief of Emergency Risk Management.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video call from Cairo, he acknowledged that there were “numerous security and logistical constraints” and added that he could no longer deliver cargo through Kabul airport after the attack.
After the explosion, for which the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility, access to the airport appeared to be after the massacre. He was executed at the airport while waiting for thousands of Afghans to try to escape from a country controlled by the Taliban.
An Italian NGO called Emergency, a WHO partner working at a Kabul hospital, said doctors were “overwhelmed” with work after the attack, Brennan said. He added that stocks were out of stock.
Brennan stressed that Afghanistan’s needs were high even before Thursday’s attack. According to him, the WHO planned to send three shipments of medical supplies to the country, but these plans were canceled after the Taliban seized power on August 15.
According to him, the United Nations is now looking for other options, one of which is transporting relief shipments through the Mazari Sharif airport. The first flights should take place in the next few days.
Brennan also assured that the 2,200 health facilities monitored by WHO in the war-torn country remain open and operational.
However, he said, the shortage of medical personnel is concerning as many of them are fleeing the country.
“We are notified of outgoing health workers, health officials,” the official said. According to him, “a big brain drain … is a big problem for all of us in all sectors.”
Also, many women who have worked in the healthcare system do not go to work, probably out of fear, Brennan said.
Many Afghans fear that the Taliban will reintroduce a brutal Sharia regime similar to the one that existed under their previous rule, or retaliate for cooperating with foreign troops, Western missions, or the US-backed government over the past two decades.
Of particular concern is the situation of women who, under the Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001, were largely prohibited from studying and working and could only leave their homes if accompanied by a man.
[ad_2]
