Health Care Support programme

HealthNet TPO started its primary health care service delivery from Nangarhar province in 1996 and further expanded its services to East and South East provinces of Afghanistan. Currently HealthNet TPO is providing its primary, secondary and tertiary health care services in the provinces of Khost, Laghman, Nangarhar and Paktia. The goal of the programme is to provide accessible, affordable, equitable and sustainable district-wide primary, secondary and tertiary health care services. The implementation is according to the National Health System. This system knows two basic components:

• BPHS: Basic Package of Health Services which is focusing on primary health care (health clinics and district hospitals),
• EPHS: Essential Package of Hospital Services which is focusing on secondary and tertiary services (provincial and regional hospitals).

Key elements of the Health Care Support programme are:
a) Assistance to Returning Refugees   
b) Management Support
c) Maternal and Child Care
d) integration of mental health                       
e) Policy Development
f) Community Participation                 
g) Sustainability

Some activities and results:

• After piloting the Auxiliary Midwifery Training (AMT) initiative in 2002, this training has since been expanded to large parts of Afghanistan. In 2010, a total of 140 women graduated from HealthNet TPO’s midwife school in Nangarhar province.
• Strengthening the capacity and management in regional and provincial hospitals and provide the necessary materials.
• Linking private and public clinics: Some 400 private health providers have been identified, screened and trained. These private health providers are being connected to each other and to the public services.
• Training of doctors in various fields: An Example is to train physicians in the field of physiotherapy and mental health.
• Providing supplementary food for patients: children and tuberculoses patients need complementary food.
• A psychiatric ward for male and female patients has been established in Jalalabad Public Hospital and also with a partner organization (AHDS) in Uruzgan province.
• Mental health has become an integrated part of the Basic Package of Health Services policy of the Ministry of Public Health.
• We served as trainer on the subject of mental health, with partner organizations who implement Essential Package of Hospital Services in other provinces.
• In some areas where access to health clinics is difficult due to long distances, we provide out reach programmes with sub-clinics and midwifes.
• Access to health facilities has improved even in insecure areas.

Within the Health Care Support programme, several smaller projects are executed in various regions, see the PDF file.