KABUL, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health signed a 5.3 million U.S. dollar contract on Tuesday with international organization Action Against Hunger (AAH) to strengthen oral polio vaccination efforts in the remote southern Uruzgan and Helmand provinces.
The one-year contract aims to enhance the quality, reach, and accessibility of immunization services. Under the agreement, 487,156 residents will benefit from oral polio vaccine services delivered through 50 health facilities, while 422 new healthcare jobs will be created locally, the ministry said in a statement.
The initiative comes at a critical time as Afghanistan's health sector remains extremely fragile. Remote and mountainous communities continue to face formidable barriers to healthcare due to poor infrastructure, limited transportation, and chronic shortages of essential medical supplies and trained personnel.
Polio remains a persistent public health concern in Afghanistan, one of the last countries where the wild poliovirus is still endemic. Expanding vaccination coverage in hard-to-reach areas is considered vital to interrupting transmission and protecting children from this debilitating disease. ■