Authors: Mahi Kandage & Angad SidhuMahi Kandage is a second-year student studying Environment and Development and a minor in Psychology. She is interested in well-being studies, nonprofit work, and urban planning for sustainable development. Angad Sidhu is a second-year student pursuing a major in Sociology and Minor in Philosophy. He is Vice President First-Year of MSFU and his academic interests include law and anti-racism in North American cities. What is World Health Day? Celebrated annually every April 7th, World Health Day marks the date the World Health Organization (WHO) was founded back in 1948. Each year, World Health Day centers on a particular health subject matter. 2022 World Health Day pertains to the health of individuals and our relationship to planet Earth. WHO asks, “Are we able to reimagine a world where clean air, water and food are available to all?”. The health of our environments poses an increasing risk, disparately impacting communities. Lower-income communities often serve as trash dumping sites, and members in these areas often suffer much more from the impacts of pollution, climate change, and dangerous business practices as compared to wealthier neighborhoods. Therefore, our climate crisis targets those most vulnerable and at risk. In addition, “WHO estimates that more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes.” What is the status of the healthcare system in Afghanistan?
As of January 2022, the healthcare crisis in Afghanistan has steadily worsened and requires immediate attention. Sehatmandi, a program vital to healthcare operations in Afghanistan, has lost funding since the Taliban takeover. The country has been covering immediate crises through external funding, but cannot aim to provide healthcare for all those who need it. Therefore, Afghanistan is plagued with unpaid doctors and healthcare workers, a lack of medical supplies, and increased mortality rates of those who cannot receive care. Pregnant women in particular suffer from a lack of access to hospitals and complications with childbirth which often result in death for both the mother and her infant. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing issues in healthcare, and with the Taliban withdrawing funding, the spread of the virus has caused particular harm to the development of children. In August 2020, UNICEF reported that the pandemic had rendered over ⅓ of children unable to attend school. Particularly in South Asia, which encompasses Afghanistan, at least 147 million children were unable to gain access to remote learning. What is UNICEF doing to help? COVID-19’s effect on children is massive. UNICEF is focused on children’s health, especially in their return to school. To Afghanistan alone, UNICEF has delivered 1,484,900 doses of the Johnson & Johnson covid vaccine. Because less than 4% of the population in Afghanistan is vaccinated, these vaccines are crucial to their ongoing fight against the virus. When parents are unvaccinated and become ill, it affects the whole family. School becomes an afterthought, and health becomes their largest priority. The return to school was difficult for more reasons than just the effects that COVID-19 had on families physiologically. As the schools have been closed for months, the water and sanitation facilities were no longer operational. Poor hygiene in many schools contributed to larger outbreaks, as the spread through vomiting and diarrhea was difficult to mitigate. To fight against this issue, UNICEF has provided handwashing stations, soap, and clean water to 1,250 schools; benefiting 625,000 students. With these materials, teachers have also been given the teaching and materials needed to carry out lessons while reducing school costs. Policy Solutions Policy solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic are dually clear and difficult to accomplish. There is little argument about the steps needed to take, but still resistance about how to take them. Programs like vaccine distribution among areas in need have been shown to be effective. The major obstacles are, as always, the costs. UNICEF used the European Union and the United States' donations to COVAX. The on-ground policy seems not to be the issue that needs changing. Instead, it seems that government funding of these programs is the biggest obstacle. With more money, UNICEF could expand its vaccine and sanitation programs. Sanitation especially has multiple uses and helps with issues other than just the COVID-19 virus. Greater sanitation across underprivileged areas would also lead to lower rates of disease and malnutrition. Nonetheless, work to mitigate COVID-19 is crucial and can have positive impacts far beyond the immediate virus. Sources https://assembliesforall.org.uk/assemblies/world-health-day/ https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/press-releases/covid-19-least-third-worlds-schoolchildren-unable-access-remote-learning-during https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/stories/returning-school-safe-and-heathy https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/afghanistan-s-health-system-is-on-the-brink-of-collapse-urgent-action-is-needed
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