© Sayed Rahman pour Action contre la Faim
Headline
Delivering Health Services In Remote Areas Of Afghanistan
Afghanistan faces one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises.
According to recent estimates, 22.9 million people– about half of Afghanistan’s population – require humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs, such as health care, food and clean drinking water. The nutrition response is also struggling to meet the needs of an estimated 3.4 million acutely malnourished children¹ due to a combination of funding gaps and access issues.
Bringing Healthcare Closer To Communities
Action Against Hunger operates in six provinces, including the four most affected provinces by food insecurity: Badakhshan, Ghor, Kabul and Helmand. Our teams run seven Therapeutic Feeding Units (TFU) where they admit and treat children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. However, the geographic coverage of the TFU remains limited. Data from ACF-run units shows that 60% of people travel over the recommended distance to reach services (5km). Therefore, many provinces and remote areas remain underserved, leaving many communities at risk of not receiving proper healthcare.
In 2024, Action Against Hunger and the Organization for Community Coordination and Development (OCCD) established two Family Health Houses in Ghor and Badakhshan provinces. Known as Ashiana-e-Sehi in the local language, they are designed as community-based facilities to deliver health and nutrition services to the most vulnerable and needy people in remote areas.
In Badakhshan, Samullah Ahamdi manages the Family Health House in Laghayer Village, a remote community far from the provincial capital, Faizabad. “This district is home to approximately 42,000 people, many of whom endure chronic poverty, persistent health challenges, and food insecurity. Some villages are located 15 to 20 kilometers from this center, while Faizabad is nearly less than 70 kilometers away,” he explains. “Since this facility opened, women have been coming regularly for medical check-ups and deliveries. Most of the residents are unable to afford travel to other health centers, they are grateful to have the Family Health House within a reasonable distance from their villages.”
© Sayed Rahman pour Action contre la Faim
Beyond the long distances, poor road conditions pose significant risks for residents, with frequent accidents adding to their hardships. Badakhshan, a ruggedly mountainous region, faces recurring landslides and flooding, making it one of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable provinces to climate change. Here, communities rely heavily on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods. During heavy winter snowfall, roads often become obstructed, blocking most forms of transportation. In such cases, people sometimes have to be carried long distances on stretchers to reach health facilities, as no other transport options are feasible. During the winter season, residents grapple with food shortages and health issues due to a lack of permanent employment, leaving them unable to afford food, medicine, or transportation to healthcare facilities.
Offering A Wide Range Of Services And Assistance
A single Family Health House can serve up to 3,000 people in its area, providing a variety of services for both children and adults. These include outpatient consultations, delivery care, family planning, and nutrition support for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Children can receive treatment for severe or moderate malnutrition and get their required vaccinations. Women coming to the facility for delivery also receive hygiene kits to support their antenatal and postnatal care.
In Badakhshan, high levels of food insecurity are driven by climatic shocks, unemployment and high food prices. Households in remote areas face a fragile economic situation, with some families enduring days without food. Therefore, ACF integrated a food security package to provide malnourished individuals with two-round food baskets. Each basket typically contains flour, oil, rice, beans, and salt. A food voucher system is also in place to assist families with children who have been discharged from the TFU.
Listening to Underserved Communities
Nafas Gul is one of many residents who sought help in the Family Health House. She lives in the remote village of Robat Gelak with her extended family of 13 members.
“I lost my first daughter, who was 20, due to kidney problems. I couldn’t afford to rent a car or pay for doctor’s fees or check-ups, and as a result, she passed away. Afterward, my second daughter fell ill and spent ten years living in isolation. Thanks to the care provided by this clinic and its doctors, she is now doing well.
We are truly grateful to have a clinic nearby, and we are satisfied with the services they offer. Traveling to distant clinics in Kunduz, Takhar, or Faizabad by donkey or car is a great challenge for us. The clinic’s counseling sessions and the medication they provide for my daughter mean a lot to us.“
Considering the frequent floods and earthquakes in the province, the program also provides psychosocial care, and Psychosocial First Aid (PFA) training for community health workers.
© Sayed Rahman pour Action contre la Faim
In Ghor and Badakhshan, Family Health Houses made significant progress in health and nutrition activities. A total of 2,423 children under five, pregnant and lactating women (PLWs), and adolescents received primary health care (PHC) services. Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI) for children under five surpassed expectations, with 3,444 consultations conducted this year. This tremendous work and the results demonstrate the critical need for healthcare services in these remote areas. These services are essential to the well-being of the communities, and any potential closure of the facilities would put many at risk.
¹Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (October 2024).
Afghanistan
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