WHO lauds Pakistan’s help in delivering medical supplies to Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is supporting efforts to airlift necessary supplies into Afghanistan where medical stocks have shrunken after the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul closed following a series of blasts, said the World Health Organisation.

“We have only a few days of supplies left and we’re exploring all options to bring more medicines into the country,” said Rick Brennan, Regional Emergency Director for the agency’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, while speaking at his bi-weekly press briefing.

Brennan told reporters a first Pakistan International Airlines flight carrying the supplies will hopefully leave to Mazar-i-Sharif shortly.

The UN World Food Programme is also establishing a “humanitarian airbridge”, with flights expected to take off soon.

Meanwhile, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujrarric told APP that during Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ telephonic conversation with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday, he thanked for Pakistan’s support for UN operations in Afghanistan and their generosity towards Afghan refugees.

Prior to the airport attack, WHO had planned three airlifts of trauma kits, emergency health kits, essential medicines and supplies for hospitals and health centres in Afghanistan, but the items remained grounded due to security and operational issues at the airport, the kit was pointed out.

“Because of security concerns and several other operational considerations, Kabul airport is not going to be an option for the next week at least,” Brennan said.

“One of the challenges we have in Afghanistan right now is there’s no functioning Civil Aviation Authority. But we are working with the Pakistanis, particularly in the context of Mazar-i-Sharif Airport, because they can work with contacts on the ground to ensure that all the necessary steps to land an aircraft, to land a cargo aircraft, can be put in place”.

He added that insurance costs for bringing an aircraft into Afghanistan have “skyrocketed” overnight, reaching unprecedented levels.

“We’re trying to jump through that hoop at the moment,” said Brennan. “Once we can address that, we will hopefully be airborne in the next 48 to 72 hours.”

The terrorist attack has accelerated tensions and volatility in a country where nearly half the population, or 18 million people, were already dependent on humanitarian relief even before the Taliban seized power. An ongoing UN appeal for $1.3 billion is less than 40 per cent funded.

Asked about the impact the attack had on hospitals in Kabul, Brennan reported that a WHO partner — Emergency, an Italian non-governmental organisation — which runs a trauma hospital in the city, has been “overwhelmed” in treating victims, who reportedly number more than 200.

“Of course, getting access to supplies is urgent, and we understand that they’ve got great pressure on their supplies right now. So our proposed air shipment in the next couple of days will be bringing in more trauma kits,” he said.