OVERVIEW

The USAID Partnership Contracts for Health (PCH) project supported the Afghan Ministry of Public Health to deliver basic health services to more than 1.5 million Afghans every month.  

With funding from USAID, the Ministry contracted 14 national and international non-governmental organizations to deliver health services to approximately 10.6 million Afghans in 13 provinces: Badakhshan, Baghlan, Bamyan, Faryab, Ghazni, Herat, Jawzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Paktika, Paktiya and Takhar. The scale and reach of services were instrumental in significantly improving health outcomes in Afghanistan. The project delivered vital services such as primary care, family planning, emergency service provision and nutrition support. A key result of this partnership is that married women have more control over their reproductive health, which will help lower maternal death rates in PCH supported provinces.

The PCH project also supported the recruitment and training of community midwives in five provinces: Badakhshan, Bamyan, Ghazni, Paktika and Takhar.

ACTIVITIES

• Delivering Quality Basic Health Services: USAID helped staff, equip, and stock  636 health facilities, including 27 district hospitals, 177 comprehensive health centers, 278 basic health centers, 144 sub-health centers, and 10 prison health centers. Funding was also provided for 469 health posts, each manned by two community health workers, and ongoing training for health service providers.  
• Improving Essential Hospital Services: USAID supported health care through five provincial hospitals in Badaskshan, Ghazni, Khost, Paktiya, and Paktika provinces. These facilities were critical to improving access to emergency care, for example for pregnancy complications and severe malnutrition. These provincial hospitals also served as training centers for doctors and midwives and as model institutions for improving hospital services in neighboring districts.
• Ensuring Community Midwifery Education: The program trained community midwives in five remote provinces.  The 24-month competency training built a cadre of female health care staff able to provide quality maternal health services during and after pregnancy, including skilled birth delivery and essential newborn care. This was often accomplished in remote villages where such modern care previously did not exist.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• 1.5 million clients served per month by USAID-supported health services.
• 1000 female students from remote provinces graduated in the Community Midwifery Education Program.
• 55 percent of children less than two years old in areas covered by the project were vaccinated.
• 60 percent of pregnant women in areas covered by the project received antenatal care.
• 51 percent of pregnant women delivered their babies with a skilled birth attendant present.
• Contraceptive usage is estimated at 42 percent – double the national average of 20 percent.
• Household Surveys were conducted to monitor health changes in PCH provinces and used to inform subsequent planning and health interventions.