High-Level Delegation of WHO Calls on IEA-FM Muttaqi

11-18-2024.
Today, Dr. Hanan Balkhi, Regional Director of WHO, accompanying a delegation, called on IEA-Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi.
At the outset, welcoming the delegation, FM Muttaqi outlined the healthcare challenges in Afghanistan, underscoring that conflict of past four decades in the country impacted the healthcare, leaving the residents of remote areas deprived of healthcare services. Additionally, FM Muttaqi noted that adequate health services have not been provided to these areas & called for immediate actions.
Adding further, FM Muttaqi called on WHO representatives to strengthen & equip Afghanistan’s domestic healthcare system & to support local health sectors in the production of medicines in order that Afghanistan’s healthcare centers can be funded & Afghans can become self-reliant in health services
Underlying joint efforts to counter polio & other infectious diseases, FM Muttaqi asked the delegation to establish & operationalise laboratories for the diagnosis of polio & other diseases in Afghanistan.
Expressing gratitude to Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan for its ongoing cooperation with the organization & for providing opportunities to work in the country, dr Hanan Balkhi shared updates on the recent fourth ministerial meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, focused on “Antimicrobial Resistance.” She stated that she is trying to spotlighting Afghanistan’s healthcare on international forums, pledging to work closely with Afghanistan’s internal healthcare institutions to strengthen & equip them.
During the meeting, Mr. Christopher J. Elias, President of the Global Development Division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, expressed his commitment to taking effective steps to eradicate polio, a highly contagious & dangerous disease, in Afghanistan.
Later. Representative of Unecif for Afghanistan also spoke, highlighting the ongoing collaboration with the Afghan government, and stated that they making efforts to secure fund from the World Bank to implement a clean water supply project from Panjshir to Kabul.
In the end, FM Muttaqi reiterated IEA’s commitment to cooperating with international humanitarian organizations & pays special attention to ensuring the immunity security of their workers.