KABUL (Pajhwok): Some people and health specialists believe that mobile health teams are effective in remote areas of the country and are calling for their expansion, while the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) says it is focusing on meeting people's needs through fixed health centers.
Dr. Sharafat Zaman, spokesman for the MoPH, told Pajhwok Afghan News that four years ago, there were more than 600 mobile health teams operating in the country. However, this number has now decreased to 404, which provide health services in remote areas.
When asked why the number of these teams had decreased, he explained: "Three years ago, we decided to establish fixed centers instead of mobile ones. The teams that have decreased have not disappeared; they have been transformed into fixed centers."
Health services in remote areas via mobile health teams
Dr. Jihad Gul Wahedi, the head of a mobile health team in Khost province, stated that the purpose of these teams is to provide health services to areas that lack health centers or hospitals.
According to him, each mobile health team consists of a doctor, a midwife, a vaccinator, a nutrition officer, and a driver. These teams provide services such as vaccinations, general health check-ups, treatment for patients, nutrition services, and maternal and child health care.
He added that the areas where the teams operate are well-defined and their monthly work plans are arranged and approved by the MoPH.
The mobile health teams visit each designated area twice a month.
Dr. Wahedi emphasized that the activities of these teams have had a significant positive impact on the health situation of people in remote areas, and the public's reception of these services remains widespread.
He also mentioned that in Khost province, only one mobile health team, affiliated with the MoPH, is currently active.
He has no information about mobile health teams funded by other organizations.
In the past seven months, the mobile team in Khost has provided health services to 15,000 people.
People's demand for expanding mobile health teams in remote areas
Bas Gul, 35, a resident of the remote village of "Sad Siyah" in the capital of Ghor province, spoke about the difficulty of accessing health services due to the distance from the health center.
She said, "The distance to the health center is difficult for everyone, but for pregnant women, it is especially challenging, particularly in the winter with the cold weather. To get our children vaccinated, we must travel two hours by car to reach a clinic. As a result, many times, we choose not to go to the clinic."
She expressed appreciation for the mobile health teams but added, "Our request to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is to expand the mobile health teams, and they should visit our areas more frequently."
She added that currently, a mobile health team visits their area twice a month.
Sharifa Ahmadi, a resident of the "Bala Sarab" area in Jaghatu district of Ghazni, echoed similar concerns, saying, "The health center is far from our home. It's good that the mobile teams come occasionally to check on pregnant women and provide anemia medicine and nutritional supplements for children. They come once or twice a month."
She also requested an increase in mobile health teams in the province.
Meanwhile, Nazimuddin, a resident of the Bilalabad village in Sheberghan city, said that their village is located seven kilometers from Sheberghan city in Jawzjan province and has been deprived of a health clinic.
He added, "Sometimes, mobile health teams visit the village and address some of the people's problems, but these services are not enough."
He urged the government to establish a health clinic for the village and increase the number of mobile health teams.
However, Haji Mir Hamza, a resident of the village "Mohammad Omar Kordo" in the center of Nimroz province, said that around fifty families live in their village, but there is no clinic.
He stated that people have to travel ten kilometers by rented vehicles to reach the provincial hospital in Zaranj.
He added, "We don't have a mobile health team either. Occasionally, a vaccinator comes to vaccinate our children, but that's it. We want mobile health teams to come to our village for various health services."
Mawlawi Mohammad Juma Islamyar, head of the local council in the Kang district of Nimroz, also stated that mobile health teams were previously active in their district but have not been operational for the past five months. As a result, people are forced to travel long distances to reach a health center.
He too called for the resumption of mobile health teams in the district.
Health specialists: Mobile health teams key solution for accessing health services in remote areas
Dr. Mirwais Haqmal, Senior researcher and member of the Academy of Sciences of Afghanistan, said that some remote areas of the country face challenges in accessing health services due to geographic, economic limitations, and the lack of fixed health centers.
He emphasized that mobile health teams play a crucial role in providing essential health services in these areas.
According to him, these teams help reduce maternal and child mortality, increase vaccination coverage, and prevent the spread of contagious diseases like polio, measles, and cholera by reaching areas that lack clinics or hospitals.
He also added that mobile health teams are vital in diagnosing and treating malnutrition, providing maternal and child health services, managing emergency cases, and raising public awareness about health and hygiene.
Dr. Haqmal noted that establishing fixed health centers in sparsely populated and remote areas is costly and often impractical. Therefore, mobile health teams are an effective and cost-efficient solution for the government and aid organizations.
He emphasized that the inclusion of female midwives and health workers in these teams facilitates women's access to health services and helps gather health data that can be used for better planning.
Dr. Hamed Jamal, an orthopedic specialist at the Wazir Mohammad Akbar Khan Hospital in Kabul, told Pajhwok that mobile health teams are not limited to Afghanistan; many countries around the world use mobile clinics in equipped vehicles to provide healthcare.
He stressed that sending mobile health teams to remote areas is a critical need, stating, "It's very important for mobile health teams to visit these areas. From our experience, we have seen that people often turn to quacks for treatment in the absence of professional doctors. This leads to serious consequences, such as the deterioration of limbs, infections, or even amputations. If mobile health teams are present, they can prevent such damages."
Dr. Jamal said that the operation of mobile health teams should be expanded, and to achieve this, it is essential for the Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan to collaborate with international aid organizations and attract their support.
MoPH response
However, Dr. Sharafat Zaman, spokesman for the MoPH, responded, "Our message to the people is that the fixed health centers will continue to operate, and we are working to convert existing mobile teams into fixed centers to provide more standardized services to the public and address their needs in a timely manner."
He added that mobile health teams incur higher costs, and once these services are transitioned into fixed centers, not only will the quality of services improve, but the overall costs will also decrease.