All private clinics in Kunduz province operating illegally

Monitoring Desk

KUNDUZ CITY: All private clinics in northeastern Kunduz province are operating without licences from the government, an official claimed on Tuesday.

Provincial council deputy head Safiullah Amiri told Afghan media a number of private clinics were recently opened in Kunduz without obtaining permits from the government.

“Eight private clinics are active in this province but seven of them treat patients without having legal documents,” he said. The unlawful clinics were closed by them but they were reopened a day later.

This Pajhwok reporter visited two of the seven private clinics but none of the doctors or owners wanted to speak on the issue.

But a local elder, Maroof Shah, said he had brought a patient to one of the clinics for treatment.

“I am a resident of Malarghi area. Someone gave me the address of this clinic, so I have brought my patient here. The clinic gave him medicine and now we are going back home,” he said.

Hamidullah, a resident of Kunduz City, the provincial capital, urged public health officials to strictly monitor hospitals and clinics.

“Most of nurses in Kunduz work as doctors — a serious threat to people’s lives. We have repeatedly shared this problem with the officials concerned but no action has been taken yet,” he complained.

Matin Atif, acting public health director, acknowledged that none of the eight private clinics in the province had so far obtained a licence.

“These clinics may have commercial value, but they have no permission to offer health services, because their documents are still under scrutiny,” the official explained.

Atif identified the illegal clinics as Maulana, Darman, Hafiz Trukman, Arya City, Sehat Afghan, Farid, Mudassir Noori and Mehrabanan.

He said the clinics without licences did not meet the Public Health Department’s standards and they employed nurses as doctors.

“We would soon visit these clinics and bring their owners to justice in case they are found to have violated the law,” the acting director concluded.