A doctor checks a child at a hospital in Ghazni province, eastern Afghanistan, on April 8, 2019. The Afghan Ministry of Public Health on Sunday commemorated the World Health Day falling on April 7 every year. With the efforts of the Ministry of Public Health, 85 percent of the country's population by walking only one hour, while 15 percent by walking two hours away, has access to health service centers, according to Afghan Minister of Public Health Ferozuddin Feroz. (Xinhua/Sayed Mominzadah)
KABUL, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Ministry of Public Health on Sunday commemorated the World Health Day falling on April 7 every year.
The theme of the celebration which was held in Malalay High School was "health for all by all", the main aim of which, Afghan Minister of Public Health Ferozuddin Feroz said was a universal health coverage.
"Any part of the society need health services and we have to cover them in the remotest areas of the country; regardless of the tribe, language and religion," said Feroz at the meeting organized at the Malalay High School, a girls' school in Kabul.
With the efforts of the Ministry of Public Health, 85 percent of the country's population by walking only one hour, while 15 percent by walking two hours away, has access to health service centers, according to the minister.
The minister described rising awareness of the people about the culture of using hygienic foods and improving nutritional status among students, especially children, as another tip of the event.
He called the comprehensive cooperation from all sectors, particularly ministries of education and ministry of information and culture as well as the mass media and civil society very effective in this regard.
Minister of Education Mirwais Balkhi also spoke on the occasion and told the event that his ministry in cooperation with the ministry of public health has on hand a health program expected to be launched within the country's school curriculum in the near future.
The ministers emphasized that health and education sectors had great achievement since 2001.
Mortality among children has dropped by 44 percent, while mother maternal mortality-related death has fallen by 19 percent, after the ministry extended an extensive health services all over the country.
Three decades of war have laid devastating impacts on the health sector in Afghanistan.
In 2002, only 9 percent of people had access to health services, according to official statistics.
However, only 5 U.S. dollars has been allocated for one Afghan to access health services each year, the lowest sum compared to other countries.
The Taliban-led insurgency and war have claimed the lives of scores of health workers around the country.
On Thursday, a medical doctor was killed and 20 people wounded after an improvised explosive device hidden in a health clinic was detonated in Pul-e-Khumri, capital of northern Baghlan province.
