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News Release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2002
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Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343
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HHS SECRETARY THOMPSON TRAVELS TO AFGHANISTAN
TO FORMALIZE HEALTH PARTNERSHIP, ASSESS NEEDS
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that he signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) to help redevelop the country's medical infrastructure and continue to improve essential health care services and the social service delivery system. The announcement comes on the same day as the Secretary's announcement of a new volunteer medical training initiative for Afghan-American physicians.
Secretary Thompson made the trip to Kabul to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Minister of Public Health Sohaila Siddiq and Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, as well as make an assessment of the country's health needs as it rebuilds after Taliban rule. Secretary Thompson had earlier played host to Minister Siddiq on her visit to Washington and promised to make a trip to Afghanistan.
"Afghanistan is facing serious health needs, particularly regarding its children and women, and we are working to help them address these challenges," Secretary Thompson said. "Only 23 percent of the Afghan population has access to safe water, and nearly one out of every four children dies before reaching the age of 5. At HHS, we are actively engaged with the Afghan and international community to find solutions to these public health problems."
The MOU will establish a formal relationship with the Afghan MOPH and will focus on improving maternal, infant and child health; securing and restoring hospital infrastructure; providing safe water and sanitation systems; epidemiological services; and mental health services. The MOU seeks to strengthen ongoing activities, such as:
- A women's health issues and training needs assessment conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
- Immunization efforts by HHS and UNICEF, which have helped immunize more than 8 million Afghani children against measles;
- The donation of basic medical equipment and supplies to Afghan hospitals;
- Assisting in the building of a sustainable water and sanitation system, and helping the Afghan government manage environmental health relief and a long-term environmental health program;
- A training program launched today in conjunction with the Afghan Medical Association and the Afghan-American Physician Association offering Afghan-American physicians the opportunity to volunteer medical expertise in their homeland; and
- The establishment of the Post Emergency Public Health Center Afghanistan, to provide public health and epidemiological technical assistance and training to doctors, international and local non-governmental organizations, and the Afghan government.
HHS will continue to address the vital need for immunizations, disease surveillance, land mine removal and injury prevention in Afghanistan.
In July 2002, Secretary Thompson announced the department's large-scale effort to aid in the rebuilding of Afghanistan at the Afghanistan-America Summit on Recovery and Reconstruction at Georgetown University.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are
available at www.hhs.gov/news.
Last Revised: October 08, 2002
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