UNFPA brings in crucial supplies

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) started bringing in crucial medical and other health-related equipment on Saturday into the Afghan capital, Kabul. A UNFPA statement issued to IRIN in Kabul over the weekend said three plane loads of equipment arrived containing two ambulances worth a million dollars. "Within a week, in three successive plane loads starting on 2 March, UNFPA will provide sufficient medical and related equipment for Malalai Maternity Hospital, Rabia Balkhy Maternity Hospital, and Khair Khana 52-bed Hospital," the statement said. Afghanistan’s maternal mortality rate is estimated to be 1,700 deaths per 100,000 live births, the world’s second highest. Some 16,000 women will die of mostly preventable pregnancy-related causes this year. Infant and under-5 mortality are correspondingly high: 165 of every 1,000 babies born will die before their first birthday; one child in four will not survive to age 5. A UNFPA official in Kabul told IRIN that the focus of their work was on basic training of service providers and emergency reproductive health kits with emphasis on safe delivery. The project also included training of nurses and midwifes.