The health care system in Afghanistan has suffered years of neglect. According to the Central Statistics Office’s (CSO) Statistical Yearbook 2003, the percentage of expenditure on health between 1997 and 2000 was only 0.5 per cent. of GDP and the number of doctors per 1,000 people a mere 0.1 per cent. against an average of 2.2 per cent. for all developing countries. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that in 2001 the total expenditure on health was 5.2 per cent. of GDP.
Although DFID is not directly engaged in the health sector, DFID officials in Kabul have contacted the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) for this data. The ministry have confirmed that the data requested is not available back to 1995.
There are, though, signs that progress is being made. The World Bank, European Commission and The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are investing heavily in this sector. In the November 2006 report of the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board, it was recorded that the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) has been expanded to 82 per cent. of the Afghan population. 856 standard health facilities are now functional; 82 facilities provide comprehensive emergency obstetric care, and 309 provide basic emergency obstetric care. 71 per cent. of all BPHS health facilities are now staffed with at least one female staff member. One district hospital, 22 basic Health Centres and 17 Comprehensive Health Centres have also been established.