Send a message to our team in Afghanistan
The city of Khost in Afghanistan is home to the busiest Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) maternity hospital worldwide.
Throughout the recent chaotic events, our team have been working to provide life-saving medical care to mothers and babies. Dr Adel*, who works at the project, introduces the team and their work.
You can send a message of goodwill or support to the team using the form below.
Tell us about the project at Khost?
Khost is one of MSF’s largest maternity projects worldwide. Last month (October) we helped to deliver over 1,800 babies, and we admit around 70 mothers who need obstetric care every day.
Our team includes midwives, nurses, doctors, gynaecologists, as well as all the non-medical staff who keep things running smoothly.
We have staff working in delivery services, complicated obstetric surgery, our 24/7 blood bank, and a neonatal unit where we care for newborns.
People cover enormous distances to reach us, travelling five, six, seven hours or more, because they know that will get the medical care they need here.
How has the changing situation in Afghanistan impacted your work?
Before the change of power, we feared that there could be a lot of violence. In the end, Khost Province was thankfully spared from much of the fighting, but it was a very uncertain time.
Now, governments and donors have suspended much of the funding to the health system, and many other health organisations here have at times run out of medicines and money to pay their staff.
As a team, we knew that the local public hospital would lose functionality and that we would need to be ready to help.
So we’ve expanded our admissions criteria so that instead of focussing on pregnancy and childbirth complications, any woman giving birth can be cared for by our team.
How have you managed as a team?
We're extremely busy, but there have been two really important points that have helped us. One is that, so far, we have had enough supplies.
The other has been the commitment and passion of our team to work despite the difficult situation.
The message for all of us is very clear: to serve the community in every possible way and never let the ongoing unpredictable situation take us down.
What keeps you going when things are tough at work?
Firstly, our sense of humanity, commitment and sense of responsibility toward the communities where we work.
Secondly, having enough resources to do our jobs, which, so far, we have.
Thirdly, we as MSF are very well used to and prepared for working in tough environments.
Finally, knowing that sometimes we are the only ones left and able to respond to these tough situations.
The bottom line is when you have a pure heart and pure intentions, purely dedicated to serving people in need, you are going to achieve it. That is what we as a team believe in.
The crisis in Afghanistan
Throughout the crisis, MSF has continued to provide life-saving medical care to people caught in the chaos.
In five locations across Afghanistan, our teams are treating emergency trauma cases, supporting people with chronic conditions and welcoming new life into uncertain times.