Afghanistan:high women and child mortality - Term Paper Example

? Afghanistan: High Women and Child Mortality Afghanistan: High Women and Child Mortality Introduction Afghanistan is a countrythat has been marred by political instability for over three decades, and this has hugely affected the country in various aspects. The population has been adversely affected by the political instability since there is not much to record in terms of development. First, according to recent statistics, it is stated that close to 70% of the population is illiterate (UNICEF, 2005). This shows that only a small percentage of the country is learned leaving only a few able to handle the challenging task of alleviating the country from the myriad of challenges. This has further affected the development of the country as the population is not productive. Similarly, it is stated that close to 40% of the population lives way below the internationally acceptable poverty line. In subsequent rankings, Afghanistan hit news headlines as the third most corrupt country in the world. This has increased people’s focus on the country to monitor the situation. Location/Geography Afghanistan is one of the few landlocked countries in the world. It is a sovereign state that forms part of central and south Asia (World Health Organization, 2009). Apparently, the state also forms part of western Asia since it occupies a large area. The country borders Iran on the western side, Pakistan is on the east and south while Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan are on the north. It is also a neighbor to china in the vast northwestern side. Population Afghanistan is a country that covers a large area of land, which is approximated to 647, 500 square kilometers. According to statistics, it is stated that the country is ranked as the 41st nation with a large area. In the recent census, the country recorded over 30 million inhabitants. With such a population, the country is considered the 42nd country with the largest population. The population has been recorded to double since the census that was conducted in 1979. In this particular year, the population of the country was recorded at 15.5 million people. Government Afghanistan is considered an Islamic country that is run by a government. The government consists of three arms which have their delegated duties. These include the executive, legislature and judiciary. The judiciary has the obligation of implementing the laws of the country while the legislature has the obligation of stating the laws that will govern the country. On the other hand, the executive is obligated to govern the country in vital aspects which include economy. Economy The economy of Afghanistan has been recorded as the most impoverished among other poor countries (UNICEF, 2005). The country struggles to provide vital services to the population which is also living in absurd standards. In the recent statistics, the country was recorded to have a GDP of close to $ 29 billion. This is a minute amount of GDP especially when comparing it with the population of the country. As a matter of fact, the country has an external debt of over $ 1.5 billion. To make the situation worse, over 35% of the population is unemployed. Since the country is in abject harsh economic times, it struggles to sustain itself by relying on assistance from the external community and other humanitarian bodies. The economy of the country has been improving at a slow rate, which is as a result of assistance from international aid. This has had several improvements in the country which includes the transport system and health care (World Health Organization, 2009). A particular aspect that dwindles the efforts of the country is bribery. According to reports in the country, it is stated that corruption and bribery is accountable for over 20% of the GDP of the country. Therefore, reduction of this vice would improve the GDP of the country to a greater deal. State of Health (Diseases/Violence/Accidents) Though the state of heath in Afghanistan is still in atrocious state when compared to developed countries, it has been marking an improvement with time. There has been due to increased violence during the three decades of political struggle and instability. This is a threat to a country as most of the population is affected. Human rights bodies have estimated that over half a million people have fled from the country due to the state of health. Similarly, there are various records showing accidents and injuries which are due to the situation in the country (UNICEF, 2005). Consequentially, the country has vast areas of mines. A better part of the population in engaged in mining which is an occupation. However, it is estimated that over 80, 000 people have been amputated or lost limbs due to accidents that occur in the mining fields. Culture/Traditional Medicine The Afghanistan culture has been in practice for an estimated period that extends two millennia. The culture accepts different tribes and different societies living in the same community. It is a multilingual state with multicultural affiliations that live together. Healthcare System and Delivery Afghanistan has shown a remarkable improvement in the state of health of its population. In recent statistics, it is revealed that 60 out of every 100 people have access to hospitals within two hours while walking on foot. This is an improvement from the statistics that were recorded in 2002 where 9 out of 100 people would access to hospitals within two hours of walking. In the last decade, the number of new hospitals has been increasing due to increased investment in the health sector. Apparently, the most advanced treatments are offered in Kabul, which is among the largest cities in the country. In addition to this, the country has been able to build well equipped military hospitals (World Bank, 2013). Such hospitals have improved the health sector especially in service delivery. In making substantial improvements in the health care systems, the government has had to make several adjustments. For instance, the government has been able to improve the services of Jamhuriat hospital. This is the main hospital in the capital town which serves a better part of the population. In addition to this, the country has engaged other foreign partners to assist in the provision of health care services. For instance, the country has collaborated with the French medical institute for children to assist in offering high quality health care for children. Similarly, there has been incorporation of India Gandhi children’s hospital which aims at improving the lives of the children in the country. The ministry of health in Afghanistan has stated that it is estimated that 1 out every 10 children will die before attaining their fifth birthday (World Bank, 2013). This means that 10 percent of the children in the population die before attaining five years. However, the mortality rates have been recorded to decline. The statistics further suggest that mortality rates are higher in poor families that live in the rural areas as compared to families that reside in urban areas and live above the poverty line. The deaths occurring in the country are on escalated scales and this causes a threat to the population. Apparently, this has had direct effects on the population growth as many deaths reduce the population. However, the fertility rate of the country is high, which tries to rectify the situation. Consequentially, the government has been struggling to rectify the situation by providing better healthcare and other services. This has stabilized the life expectancy rate which was previously estimated at 49 years. Health Priorities In conjunction with the international community, Afghanistan as a country has been able to focus on the health care system and prioritize on solving the situation (World Bank, 2013). To begin with, the country has been able to extend its focus on the high child and mother mortality rates. For instance, Mirwais area records 3 to 4 maternal deaths in each month, which is a single death in each week. This is a situation that has been approached with swiftness from the government. For instance, in collaboration with UN agencies, the government has been able to provide better health care facilities that will improve the situation. According to reports by the UN and other special agencies, the deaths occurring in mothers giving birth have reduced significantly (Save the Children, 2013). This is a priority in the health sector which has seen maternal deaths reduce to 327 per 100, 000 births as opposed to the previous 1, 400 deaths per 100, 000 births in a three year span. Nursing Implications There are several setbacks that have affected the nursing profession in offering better health care. For instance, the need to reduce child and mother mortality rates has been shuttered by the prevalent violence (World vision, 2013). For instance, some of the heath facilities in the country have had to stop offering services as a result of the continuous fighting. Secondly, it is revealed hat there are few or no health clinics in some districts. This worsens the situation as some people have to travel long distances in looking for health clinics. This leads to death especially in delayed delivery. Thirdly, the increased war situation has adversely affected nursing profession and service delivery in reducing mortality rate. It is revealed that over 42% of the admissions in hospitals were war related (World vision, 2013). This has direct adverse impact of mortality rates. Apparently, some areas record extreme cases. For instance, in the beginning quarter of 2013 in Helmand, It was recorded that war related admissions were up to 80%. In conclusion, this shows that the increased violence and war has had vast implication in the health sector in Afghanistan. This has deteriorated the situation as it records an influx in the mortality rates. Though the government is engaging other agencies that help rectify the situation, the war and violent eruptions cause havoc as the service delivery is affected. In addition to this, the admissions occurring from violence create an influx of health care service demand. This disrupts the attention given to deliveries, which creates an increase in infant and mother mortality rates. Therefore, stopping the war would be a prudent approach in rectifying the situation in Afghanistan. References Islamic Relief USA, (2013).Afghanistan: about the situation. Retrieved from: http://www.irusa.org/countries/afghanistan/ Save The Children, (2013). Afghanistan humanitarian aid for children. Retrieved from: http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150517/k.8737/Afghanistan.htm?msource=weolpafgv013 UNICEF, (4th August 2005). Afghanistan's maternal and child mortality rates soar. KABUL. Retrieved from: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_27853.html World Bank, (2013. Afghanistan overview. Retrieved from: http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/afghanistan/overview World Health Organization, (2009). "Trends in the Quality of Health Care for Children Aged Less than 5 Years in Afghanistan, 2004 - 2006". Bullet World Health Organization 940. World vision, (2013). Afghanistan. Retrieved from: http://www.wvi.org/afghanistan Read More