Medicare in Afghanistan

Jack Eudy3rd Block

Background

• Health in Afghanistan is in need of improvement due to the country being in a state of civil war for the last three decades

• Afghanistan is considered the 15th least developed country in the world according to the world development index.

• They have a life expectancy of just 44 years • There health system over the last 10 years has risen due

to help from The UN and other various organizations. (Health in Afghanistan)

Background cont.

• “Beginning in 1979, military conflict destroyed the health system of Afghanistan. Most medical professionals left the country by 1992, and all medical training programs ceased. In 2003, there were 11 physicians and 18 nurses per 100,000 population, and the per capita health expenditure was $28 US dollars.”

(Health in Afghanistan)

The Conditions for patients• The hospitals over in afghanistan have "Auschwitz-like" conditions

(John Thomas Didymus)• Injured soldiers were routinely dying of simple infections and even

starving to death as some corrupt doctors and nurses demanded bribes for food and the most basic of care. (MARIA ABI-HABIB)

• “As early as 2006, American officers noted evidence of severe dysfunction at the hospital, including patients who appeared to be malnourished, a U.S. military mentor…” (MARIA ABI-HABIB)

Conditions for patients • “The conditions for a patient at an Afghanistan hospital has been

described as ‘horrific’.” • Some patients go through surgery without anesthesia • Many patients are giving surgery using second hand tools, that were

previously used on other patients with them having little or no wash don’t to them.

(At Afghan Military Hospital, Graft and Deadly Neglect –Article)

Conditions for doctors

• Doctors in Afghanistan do not go through extensive training at all.

• Many of the skilled doctors present are from the United States or moved there from another country, which is very rare.

• Due to the Civil War over the past 30 years, the medical doctors are not supplied with sufficient supplies to control the diseases and treat there patients.

• This has caused the famine and disease within the country to spiral out of control.

(Background of Doctors I Afghanistan—Article)

A doctor treating an ill patient

• www.channel4.com/news/articles

Availability of Medical Care • The nation had one medical facility for every 27,000 people in 2004, and some

centers were responsible for as many as 300,000 people.• An estimated one-quarter of the population had no access to health care• In 2003, there were 11 physicians and 18 nurses per 100,000 population“Health in Afghanistan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Feb. 2013. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.

Some villages have noAccess to medical care at All, like the one in the Picture.(watanafghanistan.tumblr.com)

Medicines

• Due to the war, the health system has fallen way behind. Afghanistan does not have access to many simple medications.

• They use anesthesia to lessen the pain for surgeries, sometimes due to lack of supply.

• They have experimented with making their own medications but most of the time they are defective.

• With the aid they are receiving from other countries they do have some medication like anti-venom and antibiotics for example.

(Health Information for Travelers to Afghanistan)

Men vs. Women

Women• “While the Taliban was under control, it was very hard for

women to get treatment. They were not allowed to be seen by male doctors and females were typically not allowed to go to school, therefore preventing females from becoming doctors.”

• Because of this, while the Taliban was in control, women had very little chance of being attended to if they had a medical need.

• Many women died in child birth due to lack of treatment while they were in labor.

• “Every 30 minutes in afghanistan, a women dies giving birth”(Womens Health in Afghanistan – Article)

Men vs. Women Cont.

Men• Men are provided with much easier access to medical care

than women are.• During the Taliban rule, men were the only ones allowed to go

to school therefore more medical jobs are available to them.(Health in Afghanistan)

Male Afghanistan Doctor

Wealthy vs. Poor

• In Afghanistan, there medical system is so corrupt they have doctors whom will only treat patients who bribe them.

• Because of this, poor people who cannot pay the bribery money go untreated and there injuries worsen.

(internationalmedicalcorps.org)

Wealthy vs. Poor

• Those wealthy patients, who are able to pay the money will be the ones who get treated.

• This system causes those who cannot pay the fee to get worse, spreading the disease and affecting the whole country

Afghan doctors working on a patient(internationalmedicalcorps.org)

Rural Areas

• The rural areas have very little and sometimes no access to hospitals

• In rural areas, one in six children die before reaching age five. (Health in Afghanistan)

• This lack of access causes the country to have such a low life expectancy, and such a high infant mortality rate.

This picture shows regions that contain hospitals. They are scattered and each hospital is responsible for such a large area. Some people cannot afford to make the trip if they needed too.(www.doctorswithoutborders.org )

Citations• DIDYMUS, John T. "'Auschwitz-like' Conditions at Dawood Mil. Hospital, Afghanistan."

'Auschwitz-like' Conditions at Dawood Mil. Hospital, Afghanistan. N.p., 29 July 2012. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.

• “Health in Afghanistan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 Feb. 2013. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.• "Womens Health in Afghanistan." Afghanistan Midwifery Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar.

2013.• "Publications." 2011 Report: Afghanistan. N.p., 2011. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.• "Afghanistan - International Medical Corps." Afghanistan - International Medical Corps. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.