§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what health care checks are carried out on pre-school children in Afghanistan. [122160]
§ Hilary BennImmunisation of pre-school children has been the aim of the successful polio and measles vaccination campaigns carried out in Afghanistan over, the last year.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what the infant mortality rates were in Afghanistan in the last three years. [122161]
§ Hilary BennA UNICEF report from 1997 gave infant mortality rates as 165 per 1,000 live births. This was the figure also quoted by the first joint donor mission to Afghanistan to study health. The World Bank also provides the same figure of infant mortality for 1995 and 2000. There is no more recent data currently available.
§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development (1) what financial support is being given to hospitals in Afghanistan to increase the number of woman health care providers; [122162]
(2) what financial support is being given to hospitals in Afghanistan to train and recruit (a) nurses, (b) qualified birth attendants and (c) doctors. [122163]
§ Hilary BennThe Afghan Transitional Administration requested US$173 million for the health sector as part of the Budget for the current year, of which at least US$22 million is specifically for training and capacity building. We estimate that donors will fund all or most of this. The Afghan Ministry of Health has devised an interim health strategy, which includes specific programmes for addressing institutional development and management and staff training. They are committed to addressing gender issues within these areas. DFID is helping the Ministry of Health to devise a long-term approach to policy and management, including recently by providing a consultant to assist with the assessment of human resource needs.
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§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what steps are being taken to increase the number of hospitals in operation in Afghanistan. [122164]
§ Hilary BennThe Afghanistan Transitional Authority is trying to improve the basic health services and primary health care for all and wants to avoid a rapid expansion of the hospital sector which will skew current and future resources away from primary care. The International Community supports this approach and is unlikely to fund the opening of large numbers of hospitals in the near future, while the Afghan Government lacks the capacity to manage and staff such institutions. However, DFID and others are assisting the Afghan Ministry of Health to develop its long-term strategy for health care provision in Afghanistan and this will include assessments of the needs of hospitals.