Afghan-Japan Communicable Disease Hospital inaugurated in Kabul, in the Darul Aman area
January 18, 2014
Ribbon-cutting Ceremony
H.E.Mr. Makino, Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs (2nd Right), Minister Suraya (2nd Left)
and Mr. Maeda,
Charge d'affaires ad interim, Embassy of Japan (Left).
The official inaugural ceremony of Afghan-Japan Communicable Disease Hospital in
the Darul Aman area took place on January 18, 2014 with the participation of H.E. Dr.
Suraya Dalil, Minister of Public Health and H.E. Mr. Takao Makino, Parliamentary
Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Also in attendance were Mr. Mio Maeda, Charge d’affaires ad interim, Embassy of
Japan to Afghanistan, Mr. Toru Arai, Director General, South Asia Regional
Department of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Tokyo, and Mr. Hiroaki
Takashima, Resident Representative of JICA Afghanistan, as well as representatives
from Ministry of Public Health, parliament members and health development partners.
Japan built the Afghan-Japan Communicable Disease Hospital through its grant aide
totalling USD 28 million. The hospital features an 80-bed facility for tuberculosis,
malaria and HIV/AIDS, as well as a laboratory with state-of-the-art diagnostic
technology such as digital X-ray machines. The hospital will also provide health
services for outpatients.
In Afghanistan, communicable diseases are leading causes of death. In particular, TB
remains a serious threat. Afghanistan is one of the 22 countries worst affected by TB.
It is estimated that 70,000 new TB cases are found each year, resulting in 20,000
casualties annually.
In recent years, the number of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) TB patients has been
growing due to improper medical prescription by physicians and/or cessation of
treatment by patients. Because MDR-TB is resistant to ordinary TB drug, it takes
longer to cure and needs a special treatment. This Afghan-Japan Hospital is the only
facility in the country that can hospitalize MDR-TB patients in private rooms and
treat them under the direct observation of trained health care staff.
Since 1974, Japan has been continuously working with National TB programme
through JICA in Afghanistan, providing capacity building trainings for health care staff
of Ministry of Public Health and local hospitals in close collaboration with WHO and
Global Fund.
H.E. Dr. Suraya said that “Communicable diseases are major threats to the people of
Afghanistan. This hospital will provide facilities for treatment of resistance TB cases,
complicated malaria and HIV/AIDS in the country. We are grateful to the contribution
of the government of Japan on this.”
H.E. Mr. Makino expressed his hope that the Hospital will lay a foundation for health
and medical services in this country, as it will provide a strong base for combating
communicable disease. Japan remains determined to contribute to building a peaceful
and stable Afghanistan in close cooperation with the Afghanistan government and the
international community.”
Minister Suraya (Right), Vice Minister Makino (Center) and Mr. Maeda (Left)
