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Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
 When MERCY Malaysia first entered Afghanistan in 2001, the country was
in the throes of a war that forced thousands of Afghan civilians to
abandon their homes and seek shelter in relief camps. MERCY Malaysia
initially delivered emergency healthcare to the Afghan population and
now have moved into recovery, rehabilitation and capacity building with
programmes addressing health issues, child and adult education and
vocational training.
Comprehensive Health Clinic (CHC)
The Comprehensive Health Clinic (CHC) is the core service for MERCY Malaysia in Afghanistan and marks
a milestone in our six years of providing medical relief to the people
of Kandahar City. Formerly known as the Mother and Child Healthcare
Centre (MCH), the facility was converted to a comprehensive health
centre to respond to the pressing needs for healthcare services to be
extended to male patients. It administers free medical services to an
average of 80 to 90 patients every day.
The
upgraded CHC houses a new laboratory, which performs tests to detect
 diseases considered critical in Afghanistan, in particular tuberculosis
and hepatitis B. With this service, patients can benefit from early
intervention and treatment. In its first month of operation, the
laboratory carried out 70 tests on various diseases. Other tests
available at the laboratory include those for malaria, leishmaniasis,
HIV, typhoid and brucellosis. The facilities at the CHC include a
labour room, vaccination room, pharmacy, consultation room, female
ward, paediatric ward and male ward. It employs a staff of nineteen
national staff.
Patients at the CHC are also given basic health and hygiene education
prior to  their consultation sessions. These talks run for about ten
minutes and are conducted three times a day. Some of the topics covered
during these sessions include vaccination, breast feeding, tetanus and
tuberculosis.
MERCY Little Caliph (MLC)
The MERCY Little Caliph (MLC) began as a service to draw patients and women to our clinic and
the vocational training centers when it was established in 2003. Now
the center has matured into a pre-school which addresses the importance
of making education accessible to children from 5 years and above.
There are presently 30 pre-school students studying at the MLC. The children are taught Basic English, Basic Pashtoon, Basic
Farsi, Introductory Mathematics and Islamic Studies. Under the
programme, the children are also provided food and drinks, books and
stationery. The MLC plays a critical role in building a strong
foundation for lifelong learning for the young ones while providing
equal access to education for both boys and girls. This programme is
run within the premise of the CHC.
Water Sanitation Project
In support of the local government’s drive to ensure that Afghans have
access to safe drinking water, MERCY Malaysia funded several
well-digging and hand-pump installation projects, especially for
schools. Two more hand-pump wells were installed in schools in 2006.
The first one was in the Ahmad Shahi High School, which has a student
population of 678. The installation of the hand-pump well for the
Zainab Middle School began on December 26 and is expected to be
completed by January 2007.
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