Kabul, 5 June 2018 – The WHO-supported Kabul hospital, operated by the Italian nongovernmental organization EMERGENCY, has reported the busiest month in its operation's history.
In May 2018, the hospital counted 421 admissions, of which 409 were war-related injuries.
Programme Coordinator Dejan Panic stated that the organization was alarmed. “We have never had over 400 admission in Kabul since the opening of the hospital in spring 2001. The numbers look very worrying”.
Health Cluster coordinator David Lai stated that he was very concerned that the need for urgent conflict-related trauma care continues to rise in Afghanistan.
He also stated, “Provision of urgent trauma care is one of the priorities of the Health Cluster in Afghanistan.“
Dr Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in Afghanistan, stated, “This information is very worrying, but also reconfirms the critically important job the EMERGENCY team is doing for the Afghan people.” He reaffirmed that WHO was proud to support the organization’s mission.
EMERGENCY has been providing trauma care in Afghanistan since 1999. The organization runs one hospital in Kabul and 2 other hospitals in Panjshir and Hilmand.
The EMERGENCY centre in Kabul has 3 operating rooms, an intensive care unit, a sub-intensive care unit and 6 wards for patients. In addition to being a reference point for the Kabul population and neighbouring provinces, the centre welcomes incoming patients from remote areas, also thanks to the only free CT unit in the country.
WHO Afghanistan supports EMERGENCY financially.