Patients complain of disparities in healthcare quality in Afghanistan

KABUL (TOLOnews): On the occasion of Universal Health Coverage Day, the World Health Organization has emphasized the importance of providing equal access to healthcare services worldwide.
The organization stated, “Let’s urge our leaders to enact policies that guarantee equitable access to essential health services without financial hardship and that ensure good health and well-being is not a privilege for a few but a right for all.”
Some relatives of patients in Afghanistan complained about the lack of equal access to healthcare in the country.
They said that the lack of healthcare facilities has forced them to travel long distances to reach central hospitals.
“In Ghazni, we took this child to the doctor, but they couldn’t diagnose his illness. We had to take him to another hospital. Now he is doing well,” said Ahmad Khalid, a Ghazni resident.
“In Zabul, it was not possible to perform the surgery, so I had to visit several other hospitals before bringing him here,” said Sayed Mohammad, a Zabul resident.
Some doctors said that the lack of medical facilities in the provinces has led to an increase in the number of patients visiting hospitals in the capital city.
“The Ministry of Public Health should pay attention to activating provincial hospitals so that our problems can be resolved,” said Payenda Mohammad Salihi, a doctor.
Ahmad Zia Roshan, another doctor, said, “Most of our patients coming from the provinces have undiagnosed illnesses, and we have a shortage of specialist doctors in the provinces,” said Ahmad Zia Roshan, another doctor.
Some of the governmental hospitals that were supported by some international organizations in providing standard healthcare services have now had their support withdrawn.