KABUL (Agenices): The World Health Organization (WHO) says it needs $10 million to provide essential healthcare services to 700,000 migrants and refugees who have entered Afghanistan from Pakistan.
The organization stated on Thursday that an estimated 1.3 million people are expected to enter Afghanistan voluntarily or involuntarily from Pakistan. The sudden influx of this number of people into Afghanistan has raised concerns about the spread of diseases, including polio.
The WHO has warned that the sudden arrival of this many people in Afghanistan has increased concerns about the outbreak of contagious diseases, including polio. The organization has identified unfavourable health conditions in temporary camps for displaced migrants and refugees returning to Afghanistan, including malnutrition, physical and mental stress among returnees, especially among the elderly and pregnant women, and inadequate access to clean water as factors increasing the risk of contagious diseases among returnees. The World Health Organization continues to warn that without timely assistance, there is a risk of increased mortality among patients with various diseases and a need for essential services among returnees. Dr Lo Dapeng, WHO representative in Afghanistan, stated, “It is our collective duty to ensure that we have systems and resources in place to prevent, prepare for, and respond to public health threats.” The WHO has stated that it plans to establish temporary quarantine centres at three main entry points in Afghanistan and deploy teams for primary healthcare, safety, support, monitoring, and ambulances at these entry points.
Meanwhile, according to the decision of the interim government of Pakistan, the country is determined to deport 1.7 million undocumented migrants. This process began intensively at the beginning of this month, and thousands of migrants have returned to Afghanistan voluntarily or forcibly during this time.
WHO warns of disease outbreak risk among returnees from Pakistan
