Afghanistan Health Initiative, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Global Health Affairs

Under the Afghan Freedom Support Act of 2002, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Global Health Affairs (HHS/OGHA) implements a $5.7 million annual program of health cooperation with Afghanistan.  The Department’s work in Afghanistan focuses on strengthening maternal and child health as well as improving health outcomes of mothers and newborns in Kabul.  HHS engages the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) to help implement its National Health Strategy under the internationally monitored Afghanistan National Development Strategy to build sustainable capacity for public health and medical investments.  The Department’s work includes constituent agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Indian Health Service, the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and others as it delivers and coordinates clinical and public health interventions designed to improve maternal and child health outcomes in a sustainable systems approach.

The Afghanistan Health Initiative (AHI) focuses on the Rabia Balkhi Hospital to implement processes and systems designed to strengthen hospital management and leadership, to develop culturally appropriate training programs for physicians, midwives and other health providers in the hospital and to improve health outcomes for mothers and newborns.  HHS support to the MOPH helps translate successes at Rabia Balkhi Hospital to other hospital settings and to community-based health clinics.  The Department closely collaborates with other U.S. and international donors to support health sector development, including State, U.S. Agency for International Development, Defense, the World Health Organization and the U.N. Assistance Mission to Afghanistan.  HHS/OGHA anticipates hiring a Kabul based Program Manager during Fiscal Year 2009 to support ongoing efforts.

Afghanistan Health Initiative (AHI) supports Maternal and Child Health

The Department’s strategy for maternal and child health under the Afghanistan Health Initiative (AHI) is a two-pronged approach with a clinical and a public health component.  The Office of Global Health Affairs (HHS/OGHA) coordinates a “systems” approach, with the HHS Indian Health Service serving as the technical lead for the clinical component, and the HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention serving as the technical lead for the public health component.  This strategy aligns well with the work of the Afghan Ministry of Public Health’s Urban Health Task Force (UHTF) in development of a comprehensive maternal and newborn referral system within Kabul.  The system when fully developed will serve as a model for maternal care throughout Afghanistan.  HHS may include future additional support for related needs to improve sustainable outcomes identified during program assessments or implementation.

The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Global Health Affairs, under the Afghanistan Health Initiative has as its goal to:

• Support the MOPH efforts in sustainable clinical and public health improvements, including MOPH priorities for: developing an integrated health system; reducing maternal and newborn mortality; improving child health and reducing mortality for children under age 5; reducing the incidence of communicable diseases; reducing malnutrition; strengthening mental health services and strengthening occupational health services.
  
• Decrease the maternal mortality rate associated with cesarian section deliveries and delivery outcomes at Rabia Balkhi Hospital (RBH) using cesarian sections referrals and deliveries as a measurement of overall hospital and public health systemic quality improvement.
  
• Decrease the mortality rate of full-term babies (2,500 grams or more at birth) associated with the cesarean section at RBH.
  
• Improve delivery of obstetric and gynecologic care through Quality Assurance processes, including feeder hospital diagnosis and referral of high-risk deliveries to RBH.
  
• Provide logistical support to elements of the RBH mini-system through a Cooperative Agreement with the Afghanistan MOPH, including training, equipment, supplies and technical support.

HHS allocates AHI funding via a cooperative agreement directly to the Afghan Ministry of Public Health and to Non-governmental Organizations supporting its work in Afghanistan.  HHS also sends funds via interagency agreements to the HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to the HHS Indian Health Service.  Please contact the Office of Global Health Affairs, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, Telephone 202-260-0399 for more information.

Last revised: October 08, 2009