Good health is a cornerstone of good quality of life, so improving health in Afghanistan is a key AKDN priority. In 2004, through a partnership with the Afghan government, the AKDN took over the management of the main hospital in Bamyan province, which, at the time, was operating out of an aging, inadequate facility.

After the AKDN took over the hospital’s operations, the quality and range of the services steadily improved as a result of staff training opportunities and facility upgrades. Through a 35-year agreement with the Government of Afghanistan, the AKDN will continue to invest in the hospital and healthcare in the region.

Under the AKDN’s leadership, a new, state-of-the-art facility for Bamyan hospital was officially inaugurated in April 2017, ushering in a new era of quality healthcare for half-a-million Afghans.

In 2012, the Bamyan hospital was the first provincial hospital in Afghanistan to achieve the quality certification of ISO-9001:2008. But the aging complex – where 15 of the hospital’s 35 beds were originally in tents – had reached its limit.

In response to the clear need for a purpose-built facility, the local government allocated 6.4 acres for the new hospital to be built on the outskirts of town. Construction began in 2013, led by the AKDN.

Princess Zahra and second vice president of Afghanistan, Sarwar Danesh, inaugurated the hospital on April 24, 2017. In her remarks, Princess Zahra acknowledged “the thousands of Canadians who contributed to Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s fundraising efforts for the construction of the hospital.”

The new hospital has strong Canadian links. The Government of Canada invested $23 million to construct the facility, and individual Canadians contributed $4.3 million through Aga Khan Foundation Canada’s World Partnership Walk and World Partnership Golf tournament. In addition, the Government of France provided $3 million.

The hospital is one component of an integrated series of sustainable investments by AKDN to improve healthcare in Afghanistan and Central Asia. This includes training health professionals, upgrading facilities, and raising public awareness about healthy habits and disease prevention.

Nearly 10 percent of children in Afghanistan will not live to see their fifth birthday, and Afghan women have a 1 in 52 chance of dying due to pregnancy. In Canada, as a comparison, half a percent of children die before the age of five, and the maternal mortality rate is 1 in 5,200.

Many of these deaths in Afghanistan are preventable with proper healthcare, so the new hospital places an emphasis on the health of women and children. 

For more articles, please go to the Ismaili Canadan Summer 2017 edition online.