Afshar Hospital Treats All Who Need Care

Afshar Hospital was established to primarily treat women and children, two of the largest at-risk populations in Afghanistan. It has been reported that as high as one of every four women dies of pregnancy-related complications, and up to 40% of all children don’t live to see their fifth birthday.

Maternity care is important, but Afshar Hospital exists for everyone. Not too long ago two of the doctors performed what’s called a “suprapubic prostatectomy.” It was significant surgery, essentially removing part of a prostate gland and requiring the installation of a temporary urinary catheter.

Years of conflict have left the medical infrastructure in shambles. The doctors at Afshar Hospital are helping rebuild the healthcare system one patient at a time.

Your donations help doctors perform more surgeries, treat more patients and expand their services. Drink one less cup of coffee and give that money to a noble cause. Help save a life in Afghanistan. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/, and click “donate online.”

Photo of Afghan patient being treated at Afshar Hospital

San Diego Student Adopts Afshar Hospital

The plight of children and women in Afghanistan tears at Samera Yousuf.

Many of those children and women know nothing but war. Civil unrest has been a constant for 30 years. The economy is in shambles. The healthcare system is in disarray. It has been reported that as high as 40% of all Afghan children die before the age of 5, often from diseases that are treatable and preventable. Also it has been reported that nearly 25% of all mothers perish from pregnancy-related complications – often because they don’t get proper medical care.

It is more than Yousuf can stand. She is drawn to action, applying to attend the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative meeting April 1-3 at University of California, San Diego, where she studies international economics. The Clinton program empowers students to propose solutions to global challenges.

Yousuf is starting a foundation to raise money for American Medical Overseas Relief, a US non-profit organization (http://www.amorelief.org/) that has built and is supporting Afshar Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afshar Hospital focuses on maternity, newborn, and children’s health, literally saving the lives of women and children in a medically underserved region on the rugged outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan.

“As a first generation Afghan-American, I have an attachment with Afghanistan,” she said. “Anyone under 40 has yet to experience peace in that country. There is so much focus on the war and politics of country that too often the humanitarian issue plaguing the country is undermined and overlooked.”

Not only is the hospital caring for over 3,000 patients each month, it is one of only two centers in all of Afghanistan that has created a residency-training program for young Afghan physicians in family and primary-care medicine. This program currently has 11 residents enrolled in this US model residency program, of which 5 are young Afghan women!

Yousuf decided she wanted to help Afshar Hospital after hearing AMOR’s chief executive officer, Dr. Mark Scoffield, speak at a UCLA conference on rebuilding Afghanistan. She says AMOR and Afshar Hospital propose permanent solutions in the struggling country.

“AMOR is focused on providing quality medical care to the people of Afghanistan,” said Scoffield. “We focus our efforts in five areas, making the project an 'Afghans for Afghans' program, meaning we Americans are in the background at al times. We want Afghans to be responsible to every phase of Afshar Hospital. We also focus on maternity and children’s health issues, the training of young Afghan physicians, and as a ‘side effect’ of what we are doing, there is a very positive impact on the social and economic development in the area.”

Yousuf said AMOR is not solely interested in providing charity relief or temporary medical aid, but rather to create a sustainable lasting effort. “Organizations centered around this ‘creating something from the bottom up’ approach will make so much more of a positive difference,” she said.

Yousuf also likes the idea that Afghans staff Afshar Hospital. “The fact that Afshar Hospital is run by Afghans for Afghans empowers them, and helps them realize their full potential.”

Students can learn more about AMOR and Afshar Hospital when Dr. Scoffield speaks March 3 at Afghanistan Awareness Week, an event that Yousuf organized at UCSD while studying for midterms and writing scholarship essays.

She plans to raise money for the hospital through a new foundation, Zindagee Reclamation. AMOR will use the proceeds to help women and children in Afghanistan. Her goal is to get 100 sponsors pledging at least $10 per month (or $1,000 total) through a link on AMOR's Web site.

She also will set up a booth on campus and raise money by selling bracelets, T-shirts and other items popular with students.

Yousuf was born in the United States to parents who fled Afghanistan when the Soviets invaded in 1979. They came to America in their ‘20s empty-handed, but persevered and stressed the importance of getting a college education.

“I realize how lucky and privileged I am to have been born in America. I don’t take it for granted,” she said. “I believe I was given this amazing opportunity of higher education, health and security so that I could give back to those who lack even the most basic human needs.”

Modern Medicine Is Costly, But Helps Afshar Hospital Save Lives

Afshar Hospital continues to acquire modern medical equipment, but so much more is needed. Thanks to those who contributed money to buy a sophisticated teaching microscope. Now help us purchase a $4,000 ultrasound machine to better treat the hundreds of pregnant mothers we see every year. We also want to establish a $15,000 neonatal intensive care unit.

Saving lives in a war zone is particularly difficult, but Afshar Hospital is succeeding. Recently, fast-acting doctors in the urgent-care center saved the life of a dying 4-day-old baby.

But they can’t do it without the proper equipment. Drink one less cup of Starbucks coffee each month and put that money toward Afshar’s life-saving efforts instead. Go to www.amorelief.org and find out how.

You Can Save A Child's Life With Even A Small Donation

More children under the age of 5 die in Afghanistan than any other place on the Planet. Malnutrition, disease, poor sanitation and complications from home-based births are among the contributing factors. In many cases, they die from something as preventable as diarrhea

Afshar Hospital exists to save the lives of children and their mothers. Its innovative community outreach and education programs are drawing in more women and children than ever before, including many who walk miles to be treated.

In Afghanistan, $5 provides a child with a week’s worth of antibiotics. Thirty-five dollars pays for a doctor visit and immunizations. Expectant mothers can get prenatal care and a hospital delivery for $150.

You can save the lives of girls like this one with even a small donation. Skip coffee today and donate the money instead to Afshar Hospital. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ and click “donate online.” It is that easy.

Employees Learn By Doing At Afshar Hospital

Even though Afghanistan does not require doctors to participate in continuing education programs, Afshar Hospital never misses an opportunity for additional training. This is done through daily “rounds” with physicians and staff, weekly staff meetings and a more formal monthly session where a doctor, often a resident, presents a topic of medical relevance.

This ongoing education is one of the benefits of the Afshar’s ground-breaking residency program. That program, which trains doctors and encourages them to practice medicine in other parts of the country, is unique in Afghanistan. The young residents are enthusiastic learners and that excitement spreads to other parts of the hospital. Afshar also is expanding its midwife-training program.

These are ways that Afshar Hospital is improving the medical-delivery system nationwide. The dollars you donate help improve medical care and save lives in a nation where death is all too common. Please visit http://www.amorelief.org/ and donate today.

Afshar Hospital's Innovative Outreach Helps Families COPE

Thousands of people live in the impoverished area near Afshar Hospital, and many of them have no way to get to the medical facility. They don’t know how to care for themselves or their families. As a result, 40% of all children die before the age of 5, and one of every four women dies from a pregnancy-related complication.

That’s where the hospital’s Community Outreach Program & Education, or COPE, comes in. Teams consisting of a physician, a member of Afshar’s residency doctor program, a midwife and one or two assistants regularly go out into the neighborhoods and set up clinics.

The teams perform well baby checks, prenatal exams, give vaccinations, distribute gifts such as blankets and nursing supplements and treat anyone who comes in the door. The outreach centers are busy, as this photo in the Dashti Barchi community shows. Sixty to 80 patients are examined and treated in a typical week.

COPE is a crucial part of Afshar’s mission: to save the lives of Afghan women and children. Your donations will enable the hospital to expand its outreach. Go to http://www.amorelief.org/ and donate today.

Five Reasons To Donate To Afshar Hospital

1/ The non-profit hospital targets mothers and children, two groups with the highest death rates in Afghanistan. Afshar treats about 2,000 pregnant women per month and helps even more through educational campaigns.

2/ Its innovative primary-care residency program that trains female doctors. One in four women die from pregnancy-related complications and, in a nation where some husbands won’t allow their wives to be treated by a male physician, the residency-training program can save lives.

3/ Afshar Hospital is an economic boon in a country where unemployment ranges about 35% and the surrounding neighborhoods are impoverished. The hospital employs 115 people of all skill levels and buys supplies from local merchants whenever possible.

4/ Afshar Hospital is operated by American Medical Overseas Relief, a non-profit organization with small staff and nominal overhead. The vast majority of every dollar raised goes to support AMOR’s work in Afghanistan.

5/ The hospital reaches out into the surrounding impoverished neighborhoods with regular clinics that attract dozens of people. Teams consisting of a doctor, a resident physician, a midwife and at least one assistant perform well-baby checks, vaccinations, prenatal examinations and other important medical procedures.