Background

Jalalabad is situated on near the Pakistanese border; 150 km southeast of Kabul . An estimated 300000 people live in Jalalabad. Streets are unsurfaced, canalisation and public telephone networks are not existent, and power supply is not reliable.

The MCH-Clinic is situated in an urban slum. Twelve employees, a pediatrist, a gynaecologist, four nurses, a pharmacist, a medical educator, a lab assistant, two guards and one cleaning person, work in a hired building every weekday. For a small salary they treat and care for around 120 women and children daily.

The hospital’s main focus is to help for pregnant women and the treatment of infants. Regular ultrasonic examinations are carried out in the clinic. Respiratory and gastro-intestinal diseases are the most common afflictions. Every year around. 15.000 vaccinations against tuberculoses, diphtheria, polio, tetanus, pertussis and measles are carried out with the help of UNICEF, who sponsors the injections. Prior examination patients receive extensive health counselling.

All medical attendance is documented carefully and reported to our association in Germany regularly. At least once a year doctors of the ADAV visit the clinic in order to control the work done as well as accounting.

Goals

• To ensure basic healthcare for the poor population
• Medical care for pregnant women
• Obstetrics/birth attendance
• Medical care for mother and child after birth
• Treatment and preventive medical checkups for mothers and children
• Installation of delivery rooms for ambulant deliveries

Realisation

• Continuous and secure medical care for the population
• Employment of a midwife
• Purchase of medical instruments (ECG, air conditioning for several rooms, generator, etc. needs have to be further specified))
• Equipment and expansion of rooms for ambulant deliveries

Project executive in the partner country

Dr. med. Mirwais, Jalalabad, MCH-clinic executive