The Afghan-Japan Hospital, Kabul’s largest Covid-19 hospital, urgently needs money to pay for generator fuel, food and salaries at the Covid-19 hospital in Kabul. Without it, the hospital will close and people will die.
Covid-19 in Afghanistan
Since the arrival of the Taliban in August, there is no reliable reporting of Covid-19 numbers. The reported cases are low, but the expectation is that they are on the rise after a deadly third wave of infections during the summer. The onset of the fourth wave of infections, combined with a halt in funding, is pushing hospitals to a crisis point.
Supply Shortage at the Afghan-Japan Hospital
Time is running out and oxygen is running low in Kabul. In May 2021, HealthNet TPO increased the bed capacity to 150 and installed oxygen plants in the hospital to cope with the Covid-19 crisis. Now, we are struggling to pay for fuel in addition to employee salaries. The oxygen available is reserved for Covid-19 patients in critical conditions and hospital staff are attending work voluntarily for the past 3 months. Hospital director Dr. Freba Azizi describes the dire situation:
"We have reduced the expenditure on food, we no longer buy medicines and disinfectants at all, there is hardly any fuel for the ambulances left, and that while we are waiting for a fourth corona wave.”
Frozen Funds
The Afghan-Japan Hospital is usually funded by an international fund managed by the World Bank. These funds are currently frozen as the World Bank cannot send money to a country governed by the new leaders. Much like the World Bank, many donors are unwilling to support Afghan institutions. HealthNet TPO has recently received bridge funding for other health facilities for 4 months, but not for the Afghan-Japan hospital in Kabul. No long-term solutions have been established.
We need your help! Please donate now to support Afghan patients in the midst of the health and political crises: https://gofund.me/b823f749.