IOM has begun construction of a 50-bed women's hospital in Aybak
(Samangan), a midwife training centre in Fayzabad (Badakshan), a
100-bed hospital in Gardez (Paktia) and a 20-bed hospital in Khair
Kot (Paktika) in Afghanistan.

The projects, funded by the US Agency for International
Development (USAID) through its Construction of Health and
Education Facilities (CHEF) programme, aim to raise standards of
health care in Afghanistan, which has some of the world's worst
infant, childhood and maternal mortality rates.

According to a recent Oxfam study, the country has only one
hospital bed per 2,400 people and only one doctor for 15,000. One
child in four does not survive beyond its fifth birthday and only
percent of women are attended by trained personnel during
pregnancy, particularly in rural areas.

The hospitals will provide urgently needed health services,
including in-patient and out-patient referral and treatment, to
communities within their respective provinces and those in
outlining areas/adjacent provinces.

The midwife training centre will also serve as a training
facility for health professionals and a venue for medical
conferences and workshops.

In Afghanistan, IOM works closely with the government
counterparts, in line with the Afghan National Development Strategy
(ANDS), focusing on technical cooperation and capacity
building.

IOM programmes provide emergency relief to vulnerable displaced
families, facilitate long-term return and reintegration to and
within Afghanistan and stabilize migrant communities for
sustainable development and consequently combat irregular
migration.

For further information, please contact:

Bogdan Danila

IOM Kabul

Tel: + 93 (0) 700 224 863

Email: "mailto:bdanila@iom.int">bdanila@iom.int

or

Ahmad Shah Haied

Tel: +93 (0) 700 185 961

Email: "mailto:ahaied@iom.int">ahaied@iom.int