News/Events

Afshar Hospital Treats All Who Need Care

2011-03-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-01T09:25:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-22T09:24:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-17T15:32:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

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.

Afshar Hospital Is Catalyst For Economic Development

2011-02-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

The construction of Afshar Hospital sparked a building boom in the surrounding neighborhood. New homes and other buildings are sprouting up in the vicinity. Afghans, like their counterparts in the U.S., want to live near the newest medical facilities.

The 100-bed hospital targets women and children, two of the most at-risk groups in Afghanistan. It has been a strong success, treating about 3,000 people a month only two years after opening.

Afshar’s 115 employees, including 15 to 20 doctors, 30 nurses and four midwives, provide an economic boost to an impoverished region on the rugged outskirts of Kabul.

Unemployment in Afghanistan is about 35%, and Afshar provides badly needed jobs. Medically and economically, the hospital is crucial to the welfare of thousands of Afghans. You can help it grow and generate even more jobs. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ to donate.

Afshar Hospital Creates Blood Bank

2011-02-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

In the U.S., a call for more blood usually leads to a blood bank. That’s not the case in Afghanistan. Blood banks are rare, so Afshar Hospital, which has a heavy caseload of maternity and pediatric cases, decided to create its own.

Recent donations that enabled the non-profit hospital on the impoverished outskirts of Kabul to buy new lab equipment also gave technicians the ability to test blood for impurities. Those advancements paved the way for the new blood bank, which was carved from a space outside the operating room.

Electrical lines were connected, a refrigerator with a battery backup was installed and blood was gathered from patients’ families. The blood bank is there when needed, and is another example of Afshar’s commitment to saving the lives of Afghan women and children.

You can help save lives in a nation where nearly 25% of all women die of pregnancy-related complications. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ and donate.

Help Keep Pharmacy At Afshar Hospital Stocked

2011-01-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

The pharmacy at non-profit Afshar Hospital in Kabul distributes medicine to 4,200 people per month at a cost to the hospital of $30,000. That’s about $7 per person.

Medicine is a significant part of Afshar’s total $2 million budget. And the costs will climb as the hospital gains patients. The 800 patients staff treated when the hospital opened in April 2009 has climbed into the thousands, many of them pregnant women and children.

The demands on Afshar’s limited financial resources are huge, but you can help. Send in $7 and help save a life. Or better yet, go to http://www.amorelief.org/ and arrange a $7 per month payment to your credit card.

Afshar Hospital Exists So These Kids Can Too

2011-01-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

Philanthropists privately financed the construction of Afshar Hospital in 2009 so Afghan children like these could have a better chance of living until adulthood.

Today, the hospital treats about 3,000 people per month, many of them children and women – the two most at-risk populations in Afghanistan. Forty percent of all children die before the age of 5, and one of every four women dies from complications related to childbirth or pregnancy.

Save The Children lists Afghanistan as the most dangerous place to be a child. Disease, malnutrition and improper medical care are leading causes of death.

Your donation can reduce the risk. Five dollars will provide a child with a week’s worth of antibiotics. A $35 contribution pays for a doctor’s visit and immunizations. Please visit http://www.amorelief.org/ and donate.

Afshar Hospital Keeps These Siblings Alive

2011-01-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

The children in this photograph are siblings – and represent extremely at-risk populations in Afghanistan. Only 14% of babies are born with a medical professional in attendance, so death is an all too common result. Unfortunately, the odds don’t improve greatly during the next five years. Disease and malnutrition take their toll, giving Afghanistan the highest under-5 mortality rate in the world, according to the Save The Children organization.

Afshar Hospital was built in an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Kabul to address those appallingly high death rates. Because of its outreach programs and top-notch medical care, more women are giving birth in a hospital setting. Today, about 50 babies are born at Afshar each month.

Afshar Hospital relies on private donations to operate and grow. Contributions of any size can mean the difference between life and death to this baby and its brother. Forsake Starbucks today, and give that coffee money to Afshar Hospital. Please, go to http://www.amorelief.org/ and click “donate online.”

Supplies Mean The Difference Between Life and Death At Afshar Hospital

2011-01-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Supplies are the lifelines to every patient at Afshar Hospital. Each visit requires another trip to the supply room for rubber gloves, hypodermic needles and blood-testing materials.

When you’re treating 3,000 patients per month, many of them pregnant women and babies who likely will die without you, and conducting regular outreach clinics, the supply chain has to be long. And it’s especially difficult to maintain in war-torn Afghanistan.

The hospital spends $30,000 per month on medication alone. You can help stock the shelves. Only $5 buys a week’s worth of antibiotics for a child. Please help the staff of the 100-bed hospital do their jobs. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ to learn more.

Simple Antibiotic Treatment At Afshar Hospital Saved Boy

2011-01-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

Afghanistan is no place to be a child. The death rate for children under 5 is the highest in the world, according to Save The Children, a worldwide humanitarian organization. Incredibly, most of the deaths stem from diseases that are easily treatable in the United States.

Such was the case with this boy. Look at his face. His temperature was 102 and he was not feeling well when he was brought to Afshar Hospital, which opened in 2009 in an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Kabul.

A simple course of antibiotics saved his life. The ending would not have been so happy if Afshar Hospital did not exist and he was at home without proper care. But running a full service hospital is expensive. Afshar spends $30,000 per month just to keep basic medicines in stock.

If 3,000 generous people signed up to donate $10 per month on their credit cards, the privately financed hospital would have a reliable source of income to cover the cost of medicine. To set up a monthly donation, or to contribute just once, go to www.amorelief.org and hit “donate online.”

Afshar Hospital Brings Top-Notch Medical Care To Underserved Area

2011-01-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

Afghanistan’s newest hospital was built in an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Kabul. Many of the citizens are illiterate, malnourished and don’t know how to take care of themselves and their families. The death rate in the nation is among the highest in the world, particularly for the very young and very old.

Afshar Hospital is a lifeline in the area. Each month, the pharmacy issues more than 4,000 prescriptions, doctors and nurses treat 3,000 people, hundreds of people show up at outreach clinics and 80 to 100 babies are delivered. The hospital also has an innovative program where, as this photo shows, resident doctors are trained in primary-care medicine.

And it’s done on a shoestring budget of $2 million, all privately raised. Even a small donation helps Afshar’s doctors, nurses and other staff members save more lives. Go to http://www.amorelief.org/ and click “donate online.” One-time contributions or monthly credit-card donations are accepted.

Afshar Hospital: Helping Women, Children 24/7

2011-01-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

It’s nice to know that good-quality medical care is available 24/7. Whether it is 3 in the afternoon or middle of the night, Afshar Hospital always has trained professionals on staff.

It is a lifeline in an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Kabul that prior to Afshar’s construction in 2009 had little access to health care. The full service hospital treats about 3,000 people per month, many of them women and children who walk miles to see the doctors and nurses, fill prescriptions and get vaccinations.

Afghanistan has the highest childhood death rate and the average woman only lives to the age of 44. Your contributions can save lives. Donations of any size can be made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

The Loving Hands Of Afshar Hospital

2011-01-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

This 4-day-old baby was near death when he was rushed to Afshar Hospital. He was so small and the bed so big. The oxygen mask is designed for an adult, but doctors made it work on his small frame.

Doctors worked hard to bring down his fever. They forced life-saving antibiotics into his system and saved his life. The mission of Afshar Hospital, which opened in 2009, is to end the 40% percent infant mortality rate in Afghanistan. As this photo shows, the gentle and life-saving hands of the 110 dedicated employees are doing that.

Afshar Hospital was founded by volunteers called to action. Are you being called to action? Only 60 cents provides an Afghan child with a week’s worth of antibiotics – and can save a life.

Go to http://www.amorelief.org/ and click on “donate online.” One-time and monthly donations are accepted.

Afshar Hospital's Work Inspires U.S. Soldier To Donate

2011-01-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

Though we have many donors at AMOR, no one donor is alike. No story is the same, no profession or walk of life. We are encouraged that people from all over the world are committed to giving to save the lives of the people of Afghanistan.

One of the most touching donor stories comes from a U.S. Marine in California. He’s tough and committed to duty, but believes so strongly in our mission – to save the lives of women and children in Afghanistan – that he contributes $20 every month from his meager soldier’s salary to Afshar Hospital.

He has never seen the hospital, but has heard of its work from across the world. He knows that one of Afshar’s first patients was a young mother who successfully gave birth after eight previous attempts ended in the death of her babies; he supports the facility’s innovative neighborhood clinics, where doctors and nurses reach out to the poor and uneducated; and he understands that Afshar Hospital is creating jobs in a region with devastatingly high unemployment.

Women and children die too often and too young in Afghanistan – usually from diseases that are preventable – but Afshar Hospital, and this young Marine from Southern California, are changing that. You can help that solder fight the war against infant mortality and premature death by visiting http://www.amorelief.org/, and clicking on “Donate online.”

Afshar Hospital Saves Young Lives

2010-12-28T09:12:00.000-08:00

The most dangerous time of a child’s life is birth and immediately after. That’s especially true in Afghanistan, where more children die before reaching the age of 5 than anyplace else on the planet.

Afshar Hospital was built in 2009 specifically to decrease that death rate. It is located in an impoverished, medically underserved region on the outskirts of Kabul.

Previously, eight of every 10 babies were born at home, usually to young uneducated women who didn’t know how to care for themselves or their baby.

Today, thanks to Afshar Hospital’s innovative clinic, outreach and education programs, more women are giving birth in a hospital setting.

You can help more babies live by donating one time or monthly to Afshar Hospital. Only 60 cents provides a child with a week's worth of antibiotics; $35 pays for a doctor's visit and immunizations. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ to find out more.

Bad Sanitation Leads To Misery, Death In Afghanistan

2010-12-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

Sanitary conditions in Afghanistan are so bad that diarrhea and other easily treatable ailments kill many children. The water is frequently contaminated with animal dung and human feces. State of the World’s Toilets 2007 listed Afghanistan as the world’s most unsanitary nation.

Only 18% of the women read so there is a tremendous lack of understanding about basic health and hygiene. As a result, more Afghan children die before the age of 5 than any other place on the Planet.

Afshar Hospital is a lifesaver for those suffering from diseases related to poor sanitation. Sixty cents provides a child with a week’s worth of antibiotics, $35 buys a doctor’s visit and immunizations.

Contributions of any size mean the difference between life and death. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ and donate today.

Afshar Hospital Treats All Who Need Help

2010-12-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

Afghanistan’s history of ethnic and religious tension has no bearing on the quality of care at Afshar Hospital, which is on the outskirts of Kabul.

The hospital remains independent. All patients are treated equally regardless of religious, color or political affiliation. When ethnic groups clashed outside hospital walls last summer, Afshar was a beacon of care, treating all who came for aid.

This won’t change. Our mission is to save lives. All lives. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ to learn more about Afshar Hospital.

Afshar Hospital Treats Pregnancy-Related Problems

2010-12-17T13:39:00.000-08:00

The look on this woman’s face says it all. Concerned because she was pregnant and spotting, the woman sought help at Afshar Hospital on the outskirts of Kabul.

She picked the right place. Afshar is a privately financed hospital dedicated to women and children. It has a modern labor and delivery department, a residency program that helps train doctors, treats about 2,000 women per month and delivers 50 babies monthly.

Afshar Hospital has an aggressive outreach program tailored to persuade women to deliver babies in a hospital setting. It’s an ambitious plan in a nation where less than 18% of births have a trained medical professional in attendance, and where 40% of all children die before the age of 5.

But it’s working, as this photo confirms. Before Afshar, this young mother would have had limited options if a pregnancy-related complication occurred. You can help more women get life-saving care. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ to donate.

Each Successful Birth Is Cause For Joy At Afshar Hospital

2010-12-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

Before Afshar Hospital opened in 2009, 80% of all Afghan women delivered their babies at home, usually without skilled medical assistance. As a result, many babies and mothers died, often from complications that would have been easily treated in a medical setting.

Afshar Hospital is dedicated to reducing that risk. Doctors there now treat about 2,000 women per month, many of them pregnant. The hospital’s education and outreach programs are persuading more women to get regular prenatal care, to take their vitamins and to take better care of themselves.

They are encouraged to give birth in the hospital. The result can be seen below: More babies survive.

Afshar Hospital is privately financed and does not get any government support. It depends upon donations to survive and grow. Sixty cents provides a week’s worth of antibiotics for a child; $35 pays for a doctor’s visit and immunizations. Please visit www.amorelief.org and click on “donate.”

Afshar Hospital Seeks To Replace Generators

2010-12-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

The two generators that power Afshar Hospital run 24 hours per day, and are starting to wear down. Plus, they cost money to run: about $15,000 per month for fuel. That’s money the non-profit hospital, which has a $2 million budget, would rather not spend.

The hospital wants to hook up to city power, which would cut costs in half. The electrical equipment required to make the connection costs $44,500, but would lock up an important power source. Your donations will help Afshar Hospital achieve this important goal.

Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ to contribute to this important effort. Without a reliable source of power, Afshar Hospital cannot do its job.

Afshar Hospital Doctors Are Always Training And Improving Skills

2010-12-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

Afghanistan has the world’s highest infant death rate in part because so many women – about 80% of them - give birth at home without trained medical assistance. They don’t get proper prenatal care and don’t know how to take care of themselves or their baby.

That why doctors and nurses at Afshar Hospital, which is in an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Kabul, have to be well trained. They are constantly improving their skills and, in this photo, are learning the intricacies of infant CPR.

Afshar Hospital exists so more Afghan women and children can live. Knowing infant CPR is one way to do that. You can help these dedicated doctors rebuild the country’s medical system one baby at a time by visiting www.amorelief.org and donating online. One-time or monthly credit-card donations are accepted.

An Event To Help Afshar Hospital and the Children of Afghanistan

2010-11-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

You can save the life of a child by joining us on December 5 for a special event to raise money for Afshar Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. The event will be at 4:30 p.m. at the Islamic Cultural Center, 2111 E. Nees Ave. in Fresno. The privately financed 90-bed hospital focuses on maternal and child care in a country where 40% of the children die before age 5 and one in four women die in childbirth or from birth-related complications.

Afshar Hospital treats 3,000 people per month, provides hope to families who previously had none, and is a lifeline in an impoverished region where little health-care exists. A Fresno-based non-profit group, American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), operates the hospital with an all-Afghan staff.

Learn more about the young mother who, thanks to the hospital, was able to give birth to her first live baby after eight unsuccessful attempts. Hear the heart-warming story of a 4-day-old baby boy who was hours away from death when frantic family members appeared at the urgent-care center.

Cost is $25 per person, $50 per couple and $15 for children under 18. The ticket price includes a buffet-style dinner and a silent auction with custom-designed jewelry and artwork, as well as a presentation about AMOR’s work in the Middle East.

For more information, contact Meagan Sells at msells@amorelief.org or 559-228-6154. Tickets also can be purchased at www.amorelief.org, or at the Cultural Center.

Afshar Hospital Saves Lives Of Women

2010-11-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

Women die young in Afghanistan. Birth-related complications such as bleeding and infections are often fatal because so many – up to 80% - have babies at home without professional medical assistance.

Most Afghan women don’t have access to even basic health care and live in one of the least-sanitary nations in the world. Fewer than one in five women can read, so they don’t understand the importance of proper nutrition and hygiene. Diarrhea and ailments that would be easily treated in the United States are fatal there. As a result, a woman dies every 27 minutes in Afghanistan.

That is completely unacceptable to Afshar Hospital, which was built in large part to help lower the death rate among women and children. The hospital is now treating about 2,000 women per month, many of whom likely would have died before. A $35 donation pays for a doctor’s visit and vaccinations. For $150, women can get prenatal care and a hospital delivery.

You can help save a woman’s life by going to www.amorelief.org and donating, either one time or monthly via credit card.

AFSHAR Hospital Makes Sure Afghans Have Proper Legal, Medical Documents

2010-11-15T08:53:00.000-08:00

A birth certificate is crucial in the United States. Without it, you can’t get a passport, a Social Security number or other important documents. A medical history is just as vital: It provides a roadmap for medical treatment.

Those kinds of records often don’t exist in Afghanistan, particularly among the impoverished and in outlying areas where babies are frequently born at home. Doctors at Afshar Hospital won’t allow that. They create birth certificates for all babies born at the hospital and ensure all patients have complete medical and vaccination records (even noting recommendations for booster shots) on file and at their homes.

That’s another example of Afshar’s dedication to professionalism. The hospital operated by non-profit American Medical Overseas Relief is rebuilding the healthcare system one link at a time. Your contributions help. Go to http://www.amorelief.org/ and donate online, either one time or monthly through a credit card. Donations of any size can mean the difference between life and death in Afghanistan.

Pictures Help Spread The Message At Afshar Hospital

2010-11-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

Look at the pictures on the wall in the background of this photo. When only 28% of the population – and only 18% of women – can read, educators and doctors at Afshar Hospital in Afghanistan have to get the message out in other ways.

Diarrhea, dysentery and other easily preventable diseases are leading causes of misery and death in Afghanistan, which one report ranked the world’s most unsanitary place in 2007 and where one of every four women dies in childbirth.

Posters like this are all over the hospital, conveying the importance of such things as proper hygiene and nutrition to the 2,000 women it treats monthly. Hopefully, the women go home and spread the message on the posters to family members and friends.

This is another example of how Afshar Hospital, which is operated by American Medical Overseas Relief, educates the female community and ultimately saves lives. You can be part of that effort for a small monthly donation. Visit our Website at www.amorelief.org and punch “donate.”

Afshar Hospital's Pharmacy Serves Thousands Of Families

2010-11-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Afshar Hospital is the only full-service medical facility in the impoverished southwest portion of Kabul. More than 200,000 people live in the surrounding neighborhoods. Many are illiterate pregnant women who don’t know how to care for themselves or their children. Others are families like this one who have no other source of medical care. Eventually, all seek treatment at the hospital.

Imagine being pregnant and sick, and having nowhere to go or no one to help. One in four mothers in Afghanistan dies of pregnancy-related issues that could be easily treated in the U.S. Forty percent of all children die before the age of 5.

Being the only hospital in an impoverished region like that is a challenge. Each month, pharmacists at Afshar write 4,200 prescriptions each month, and the hospital spends $30,000 just on medicine. Your small monthly donations help buy much-needed medicine for the dying women and babies of Afghanistan. Visit our Website at http://www.amorelief.org/ to learn more.

AN EVENT TO HELP AFSHAR HOSPITAL AND THE CHILDREN OF AFGHANISTAN

2010-11-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

You can save the life of a child by joining us on December 5 for a special event to raise money for Afshar Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. The event will be at 4:30 p.m. at the Islamic Cultural Center, 2111 E. Nees Ave. in Fresno. The privately financed 90-bed hospital focuses on maternal and child care in a country where 40% of the children die before age 5 and one in four women die in childbirth or from birth-related complications.

Afshar Hospital treats 3,000 people per month, provides hope to families who previously had none, and is a lifeline in an impoverished region where little health-care exists. A Fresno-based non-profit group, American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), operates the hospital with an all-Afghan staff.

Learn more about the young mother who, thanks to the hospital, was able to give birth to her first live baby after eight unsuccessful attempts. Hear the heart-warming story of a 4-day-old baby boy who was hours away from death when frantic family members appeared at the urgent-care center.

Cost is $25 per person, $50 per couple and $15 for children under 18. The ticket price includes a buffet-style dinner and a silent auction with custom-designed jewelry and artwork, as well as a presentation about AMOR’s work in the Middle East.

For more information, contact Meagan Sells at msells@amorelief.org or 559-228-6154. Tickets also can be purchased at http://www.amorelief.org/, or at the Cultural Center.

Afshar's Arrival Drives Building Boom

2010-10-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

The opening of Afshar Hospital southwest of Kabul in 2009 sparked a construction boom. Families wanted to live near the newest hospital, and large homes and apartment buildings were the result.

Afshar Hospital employs 110 people from throughout the area, but the indirect impact on the surrounding region also has been strong. Many construction workers, such as these in the photo, stayed busy building nearby structures. In addition, much of the hospital’s $8,500 monthly food bill is spent buying meat and produce from local merchants. That’s important in a region where the unemployment rate is nearly 40%.

Afshar Hospital has plans to expand, which will mean even more jobs in the area. You can help economically stimulate the area by donating even a small amount to http://www.amorelief.org/. The proceeds will be used to expand hospital services and provide more jobs.

Afshar Hospital Feeds In-Patients And Employees

2010-10-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

Malnutrition is so prevalent in Afghanistan, more than half of all children show signs of stunted growth. A loaf of bread must last many days. Milk is usually not on the menu. A balanced diet is an unfamiliar concept.

Nutrition is one key to good health. For this reason, Afshar Hospital feeds employees and in-patients three meals a day. The hospital employs a head chef, kitchen manager, two assistant cooks, three kitchen helpers and one server to prepare and serve 280 meals per day. Fruit, vegetables, bread and tea are served daily. Meat is on the menu at least four times per week. The hospital’s food bill averages about $10,000 per month.

Donations of all sizes will help keep Afghan families from starving. Please visit our website at http://www.amorelief.org/ and donate online today.

Families Trek for Miles To Reach Afshar Hospital

2010-10-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

If you are sick in Afghanistan, you probably walk to the hospital. There is no 9-1-1 emergency system, and families have been known to walk for hours to seek treatment at Afshar Hospital.

Most Afghans lack access to basic medical care. As a result, the average lifespan of an Afghan woman is 44 compared to 80 in the United States, and 40% of all children die before reaching age 5.

Afshar Hospital was developed and is support by the non-profit American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR). Your contributions to AMOR will help Afshar Hospital participate in rebuilding Afghanistan’s healthcare delivery system. Only a few dollars a month – the price of one cup of coffee at Starbucks – will pay for a visit to the doctor and life saving medicine. Please visit our website at www.amorelief.org and donate today.

This Baby Was One Of The Lucky Ones: She Survived

2010-10-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

In Afghanistan, eight of every 10 babies are born at home without a doctor or nurse present. Some die because family members at the birth don’t know how to get them to start breathing. Others die of preventable and treatable diseases like diarrhea and infection. High infant mortality is part of the reason that 40% of Afghan children die before age 5.

Help Afshar Hospital reduce infant mortality rates by making e a donation today. Even just $5 a month on your credit card will provide much-needed antibiotics and life-saving vaccination for newborns. Visit our website at www.amorelief.org to donate online.

Teaching Women About The Benefits Of Hospital Deliveries

2010-10-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

In Afghanistan, mothers-in-law usually make decisions about their family’s medical care. They decide whether their pregnant daughters-in-law should get prenatal care and deliver their babies in a hospital delivery room. Babies are much more likely to survive when their mothers get prenatal care and are assisted in delivery by healthcare professionals.

Afshar Hospital developed an extensive community education and outreach program to educate mothers-in-law about the benefits of prenatal care and a hospital delivery. The hospital employs two midwives, two assistants, and a scheduler to run the community education program. These employees meet with tribal leaders to explain the program’s goals and objectives. They ask the tribal leaders to donate space for the outreach program and invite women to come. This approach has been highly successful. The seven to eight outreach sessions that are scheduled each month reach hundreds of women including mothers-in-law. Many of the sessions include health screenings, tetanus shots, and vaccinations.

Your donations will enable Afshar Hospital to continue its efforts to improve the lives of women and children through community education and outreach. To make a difference in an Afghan woman’s life, please go to www.amorelief.org and donate today.

No Easy Way to Get to the Hospital

2010-10-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

In Afghanistan, you can’t call 911 for an ambulance. If you’re sick, you will probably have to walk to the hospital or be pushed there in a wheelbarrow like this woman. Very few people own cars, there is essentially no public transportation, and most roads are rough, unpaved, and often impassable.

Thirty years of war has left Afghanistan’s healthcare system in a shambles. Afshar Hospital, operated by the non-profit American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), is doing its part to help rebuild Afghanistan’s medical delivery system. The hospital recently acquired an ambulance, which is used to transport patients to other hospitals when surgery and other specialized treatment is needed. Gas, service, and repairs for the hospital’s ambulance are not cheap. Your contributions help.

A few dollars per month – the price of a cup of coffee at Starbucks – will provide the Afshar Hospital ambulance with gas and repairs. Please visit our Web site, www.amorelief.org and donate today.

Meals Served Daily To Afshar Hospital Employees

2010-10-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

It takes about 110 employees to run Afshar Hospital. All of Afshar Hospital’s employees eat for free. The hospital serves breakfast and lunch, and nightshift workers get dinner. The hospital provides employees with free meals to insure they get proper nutrition in keeping with AMOR’s mission to improve the health and lives of the Afghan people. Having a healthy workforce is one of the reasons the 85-bed Afshar Hospital is able to treat more than 3,000 patients each month.

Afshar Hospital relies on donations to fund its operations. Your donation of any size will be used to buy much-needed medical supplies or food for patients and employees. Please use your credit card to make an online donation today at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Afshar Hospital Responds to Shortage of Female Healthcare Workers

2010-10-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

During the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, women were not allowed to work or go to school. Today, Afghanistan faces a severe shortage of female healthcare practitioners. In Afghanistan, one out of four women die in childbirth or from birth related complications. Since religion and tradition prevent many women from being seen by male doctors, female practitioners are the key to saving Afghan women’s lives.

Afshar Hospital is working to address the shortage of female practitioners in several ways. The hospital employs five midwives and approximately 25 female nurses to operate its labor and delivery department and provide community education and outreach. The staff participate in on-going training to improve the quality of care they deliver.

The hospital has also made a concerted effort to attract female physicians to its 3-year paid primary care residency program. The residency program is operated in conjunction with Hope Partnership International. Currently, three female residents are enrolled in the program. Upon graduation, these residents will remain in Afghanistan and work in one of three rural hospitals. Afshar Hospital’s residency program is one more step towards rebuilding Afghanistan’s healthcare delivery system.

You can help Afshar Hospital save the lives of Afghan women. Just a few dollars a month on your credit card will make a huge difference. For more information or to donate online, lease visit our website at www.amorelief.org.

Nadia* Gets Her Life Back Thanks To Simple Thyroid Treatment

2010-09-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

For several years, Nadia had experienced major medical problems. She’d lost weight because she couldn’t keep food down. She was constantly fatigued yet she couldn’t sleep. She’d even been diagnosed with an unspecified psychosis. She came to Afshar Hospital hoping to find relief.

Fortunately, Afshar Hospital had just purchased new laboratory equipment. Nadia’s doctor was able to run a thyroid test and determined her thyroid was underactive. The underlying cause of her medical problems was a common thyroid disorder that was easy to treat with thyroid supplements.

Nadia was grateful to the doctors at Afshar Hospital. With her health restored, she will be able to lead a more normal life. Before Afshar Hospital opened its doors in May, 2009, patients like Nadia had no place to go for treatment.
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Your donations to American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR) will improve the lives of patients like Nadia. A $10 monthly donation on your credit card will help Afshar Hospital buy laboratory equipment and medicines like thyroid supplements. Donations of any size can be made at www.amorelief.org. Please donate today!

* For privacy purposes, the patient’s name has been changed.

September Event at Downing Planetarium Raises $34,450 for Afshar Hospital

2010-09-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

More than 175 people attended a fundraiser for Afshar Hospital on Thursday, September 16, at the Downing Planetarium & Museum on the Fresno State campus. The event raised $34,450 for American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), which supports and operates Afshar Hospital.

Guests enjoyed hands-on science exhibits in the museum, a silent auction, and the planetarium show. Before the show, Dr. Mark Scoffield, AMOR’s Chief Executive Officer, talked about some of the lives Afshar Hospital has saved.

An Afghan woman who drove all the way from Alameda to attend the Fresno event especially touched the AMOR staff. From personal experience, she knows how great the need is in Afghanistan. She wanted to show her support for the work that Afshar Hospital is doing to provide Afghan women and children with basic medical care.

For more information about Afshar Hospital and upcoming fundraising events, please visit our website at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Women doctors train at Afshar

2010-09-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

There are a dozen doctors in Afshar Hospital’s residency training program. Three of them are women – a distinction very rare in the Muslim country. They are overseen by a staff of three other doctors, the chief resident U.S. trained.

Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of American Medical Overseas Relief, said the doctors are training to be primary care specialists who will be best able to go into communities and treat whatever is asked of them.

“We need physicians who do a little bit of everything,” he said.

The World Health Organization lists two physicians per 10,000 residents in Afghanistan, far short of the 26 per 10,000 in the United States.

Afshar’s residents receive a personal digital assistant full of the most current medical diagnostic and treatment information, stethoscope and access to modern equipment.

The program needs your help. To donate as little as $5 a month, go to http://www.amorelief.org/.

Afshar Hospital provides top-flight care

2010-09-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

In a city like Kabul, Afghanistan, where 5 million people live with the constant reminder of conflict and uncertainty in their daily lives, the prospect of available health care was embraced by residents in the southwest portion of the city.

Soon after opening in April 2009, Afshar Hospital’s patient load climbed to about 3,000 per month. The hospital specializes in the care of women and children but treats all who knock at its doors.

Recently, the hospital treated casualties from a street-to-street battle between rival clans.

The program needs your help. To donate as little as $5 a month, go to http://www.amorelief.org/.

Hospital Fundraiser Only Days Away

2010-09-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

Mothers and babies in Afghanistan die at an appallingly high rate. Here's how you can help stop that.

Make plans to attend a Sept. 16 fundraiser/informational session for Afshar Hospital and American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), the Fresno-based non-profit humanitarian organization that helps support the hospital.

Do you know that 40% of all children in Afghanistan die before the age 5 and that one of every four mothers perishes during child birth? Look at the above photograph. Those were two children who recently came to the hospital for care.

That is who Afshar Hospital, and the Fresno-area doctors and developers who started AMOR, are saving. It is a compelling story and one that you can participate in by attending the Sept. 16 event.

It is from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Downing Planetarium & Museum on the Fresno State University campus. Tickets are $50 per individual; $75 per couple; and $10 for people under 18. Beverages, hors d' oeuvres, a silent auction, door prizes and a planetarium show are included.

For more information or to buy tickets, call Meagan Sells, AMOR's fundraising manager at 559-228-6140, or e-mail her at msells@amorelief.org.

Running Afshar Hospital takes dedication

2010-09-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

Afshar Hospital strives to reduce infant and child mortality and improve health care for women in Afghanistan.

Statistics show that currently one in every four women dies in childbirth and that four of every 10 children die before the age of 5. Since it opened in April 2009, Afshar has been making a difference and now serves about 4,000 patients a month.

Every day, a life is saved or made easier by the professional staff of doctors, nurses and hospital orderlies.

But that costs money.

Afshar’s budget this year is $1.5 million. The proposed budget for 2011 is $1.7 million. The increase is due to added services, such as the newly outfitted lab, which now allows the hospital to process most of its own tests and greatly improve care.

And with new equipment comes training and certification of staff.

“We’re training physicians who go out into the outlying areas,” said Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of American Overseas Medical Relief, which operates Afshar. “Part of our purpose is to elevate the whole (health care) process.”

Afshar has a staff of 110 and 85 patient beds. It also plans to establish a neo-natal center to offer specialized care to newborns and babies. Other plans include sending staff into the surrounding neighborhoods of southwestern Kabul to inoculate and treat about a quarter million people in the poverty-stricken part of the city.

And that’s one of the reasons Afshar Hospital’s mission to reduce infant mortality and improve women’s health is so important to Scoffield. The hospital has made great strides since opening in April 2009. Patient visits started at 800 that first month and now number about 4,000.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Medical Books Reach Afshar Hospital

2010-09-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

An ambitious program to stock hospital libraries in Afghanistan has been a big boost to a medical residency program operated by Afshar Hospital, an 85-bed facility dedicated to saving the lives of children and mothers in that war-torn country.

Operation Medical Libraries, started in 2007 by a UCLA medical graduate in the U.S. Army, has expanded to include 30 universities and hospitals, more than a dozen professional organizations and many individual doctors, according to the New York Times.

Among those is Navy ophthalmologist Cmdr. David T. Beverly IV at Camp Eggers in Kabul, who, according to Times reporter Irene M. Wielawski , has received 30 boxes of medical books - many of which he has sent to Afshar Hospital, which was developed and is financed by a California-based non-profit, American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR).

"They've started a family residency program using our books," Beverly is quoted as saying about Afshar Hospital.

The residency program is a point of pride at Afshar. The objective is to train doctors to open clinics elsewhere in Afghanistan, thus helping alleviate a doctor shortage and improving the overall medical care in the country.

According to the most recent figures from the World Health Organization, Afghanistan has two doctors per 10,000 population compared with a ratio of 26 per 10,000 in the United States.

The 110 Afghan doctors and employees at Afshar Hospital, which opened in April 2009, treat more than 4,000 patients per month. Many of the patients trek for miles from impoverished neighborhoods nearby to receive care.

Privately financed Afshar Hospital relies upon donations to operate. Most of the equipment is surplus and provided by hospitals in the United States and elsewhere. Any contribution, no matter what size, is welcome.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief are used to help the hospital to expand and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be obtained from and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

In addition, a fundraiser for Afshar Hospital will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept 16 at Downing Planetarium & Museum at California State University, Fresno. Tickets are $50 per person; $75 per couple. Contact: Meagan Sells at msells@amorelief.org.

(Photo of residents at Afshar Hospital)

Young Boys Work As Cart Vendors

2010-09-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

Carts – and kids – like this are everywhere in Kabul.

One person will own dozens of these carts and employ boys like this to peddle water, Pepsi and other soft drinks and snacks. They’re as common as hot dog stands in New York City.

“There are hundreds of them,” said Dr. Mark Scoffield, chief executive director of American Medical Overseas Relief, or AMOR. The Fresno-based nonprofit helped opened Afshar Hospital in Kabul, and is working to open other medical centers in Asia and other needy regions.

This particular cart was only yards from the hospital, which is in the southwest portion of the sprawling city. This young entrepreneur was always ready with a smile - and is among the population Afshar's dedicated medical staff is trying to save .

A group of doctors and developers formed AMOR and privately financed Afshar Hospital. The facility opened in April 2009 with about 800 patients per month. Now, the 110 Afghan employees treat more than 4,000 people each month.

The hospital's target audience is children and mothers, but the doctors will treat anyone who comes. The goal is to reduce the high mortality rate - 40% of all children in Afghanistan die before reaching the age of 5 and one of every four mothers dies giving birth - and to improve the quality of health care throughout the country.

The dedicated staff is saving lives, including a 4-day-old baby a few months ago. He had a fever of 104 degrees and was only hours from perishing.

Contributions of any size to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org.

Secretary of State condemns attack on Kabul schoolchildren

2010-08-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today issued a scathing report against those who poisoned Afghan schoolgirls and their teachers in Kabul this week.

"We condemn such attacks and are working with the Afghan government to address this important issue and prevent further incidents from occurring," she said.

Clinton, who recently traveled to the Afghanistan Conference last month, said the United States is deeply concerned. She said while details of the attacks are still being verified, "Afghan schools, teachers and students, particularly girls, are regularly targeted by anti-government elements seeking to destabilize Afghanistan and undermine progress."

CNN reported that 59 Afghan schoolgirls and 14 teachers were hospitalized the morning of Aug. 25 after an apparent gas poisoning. The attack occurred at a girls' high school in Kabul.

Yahoo News said ultra-conservative elements in Afghan society oppose female education and have a history of setting fire to girls' schools, threatening teachers and attacking students. Some even earn money for doing so. Although these extremists aim to terrify girls back into isolation and ignorance, many young women refuse be intimidated.

In 2001, only 1 million Afghans were enrolled in school, all of them boys, The New York Times reported. Today, about 7 million Afghan children attend school, of which 2.6 million are girls. However, schools for girls still remain closed in Taliban strongholds, particularly in southern and eastern Afghanistan.

Clinton said Afghanistan and the United States, together with 40 other co-sponsors, presented a joint resolution to the Human Rights Council that was adopted by consensus in June concerning attacks on innocent students, particularly girls, in Afghanistan.

"We urge the international community to continue their support for the Government of Afghanistan in combating repression and violence against girls seeking an education, and in bringing to justice those responsible for these appalling attacks," she said. "Our deepest sympathies are with the families of the victims, and we assure the government and all the people of Afghanistan that the United States will stand by you as you continue working to bring peace and stability to your country."

Afshar Hospital was completed in April 2009 with the intention of improving the health care in the war-torn country for women and children. Its doctors and staff have been working hard to make a difference and now treat more than 4,000 patients a month.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief, which operates and funds Afshar, will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

The nonprofit is saving lives in a war-torn and tattered nation where 40 percent of all children perish before the age of 5, and where one of every four pregnant women dies in childbirth.

Photo: A photo of multiple generations of Afghan women near Afshar Hospital shows diversity of tradition and clothing.

Patients Use Any Means To Reach Afshar Hospital

2010-08-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

This photograph of a grandmother being pushed to Afshar Hospital in a wheelbarrow depicts in part why a California non-profit, American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), built the hospital where it did.

The $3 million, 85-bed privately financed medical facility in the rural outskirts of southwest Kabul serves about 250,000 people, many poor and without transportation. According to the most recent figures from the World Health Organization, Afghanistan has two doctors per 10,000 population compared with a ratio of 26 per 10,000 in the United States.

Some live in neighborhoods without roads, and will do whatever it takes to reach Afghanistan’s newest hospital. Many walk for miles to be treated, but that wasn’t possible in this case. So, the man was ingenious; he put the elderly woman in a wheelbarrow and started pushing.

Obviously, Afshar is providing an important service. In only 16 months, the number of patients treated monthly has increased from 800 to more than 4,000.

Its chief mission is to reduce the horrifying mortality rates – 40% of all children in Afghanistan die before reaching age 5 and one of every four mothers dies during childbirth - but the 110 Afghan doctors, nurses and other employees treat everyone.

Afshar is bringing hope and medical care to a region where little of either existed. The CEO of AMOR, Dr. Mark Scoffield of Fresno, Calif., said diseases that would be little more than an irritant in the United States could be deadly in impoverished Afghanistan.

The good news is that such treatments, because they are so basic, can be accomplished with relatively little money. A few dollars a month can buy enough antibiotics to last weeks. A little bit more can pay for vaccines and other life-saving measures.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief are used to help the hospital to expand and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be obtained from and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Learn More About AMOR At September Event

2010-08-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

The story of Afshar Hospital and American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR) is fascinating.

It's a story of a small group of doctors and developers in Fresno, Calif. who were so appalled at the high mortality rates of children and mothers in Afghanistan that they privately financed the development of a hospital on the rugged outskirts of Kabul, the nation's capital.

They've been wildly successful. The number of patients has increased from 800 per month when Afshar Hospital opened in April 2009 to more than 4,000 per month now. More than 75 babies have been born at Afshar while other young lives have been saved.

Just last month a tiny 4-day-old baby with a fever of 104 degrees and suffering from an infection was saved only hours from certain death. Last week, the hospital was the first line of care when ethnic groups clashed in a violent outbreak in the surrounding neighborhood.

The success, and challenges that were overcome in building a hospital in a country at war, is compelling. It will be told at a Sept. 16 fundraiser, silent auction and special event at Downing Planetarium & Museum at California State University, Fresno.

Refreshments are at 5:30 p.m. The Afshar presentation starts at 7 p.m. Cost: $50 per person; $75 per couple; $10 children under 18. Information, RSVP: 559-228-6140 or msells@amorelief.org.

AMOR site gets videos -- more to come

2010-08-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

The American Medical Overseas Relief home page has a slightly new look.

We've added video to appear alongside the blog. The first two videos are of a recent MedShare shipment of supplies that went to Afshar Hospital in Kabul and of an appearance this summer on Ariana TV by Dr. Mark Scoffield, AMOR's CEO.

We plan to post more content as we develop it. Videos will be rotated with the newest expected to appear atop the list. Eventually older videos will be archived but will still be able to be viewed by clicking a link.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org. The nonprofit is saving lives in a war-torn and tattered nation where 40% of all children perish before the age of 5, and where one of every four pregnant women dies.

Time travel in Afghanistan

2010-08-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

Traveling from Fresno to Kabul takes three days. The return trip takes just two.

That’s how Dr. Mark Scoffield describes the journey, when he embarks on a visit to Afshar Hospital, an 85-bed privately funded hospital focusing on maternity and pediatric problems on the southwestern outskirts of the war-torn Afghan city.

When asked why, Scoffield, CEO of American Overseas Medical Relief, which operates Afshar, chuckles, explaining that the disparity is due crossing multiple time zones. A day is lost heading east and regained when heading west, and when actual travel time is added, the calendar sometimes becomes confusing. The trip both ways requires about 30 hours of travel time

Scoffield’s latest trip was July 17-30 and coincided with a visit by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who attended an international conference with leaders and officials of 70 countries. But with so much political capital at risk, authorities increased security.

“Airport security was very heavy,” Scoffield said. The day after his arrival, “we were on lock down. They didn’t want anybody on the streets.”

So Scoffield spent the day in his room in a local hotel, which he described as similar to a low-budget motel in the United States but with great security. Clinton stayed a couple of miles away.

Remarkably, the number of daily flights into the Kabul airport has increased to 300 a day, according to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Scoffield said when he first flew to the country in 2008, it appeared far less.

Now, “there are a lot of flights, a lot of people,” he said. The difference from his first trip “is like night and day.”

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org. The nonprofit is saving lives in a war-torn and tattered nation where 40% of all children perish before the age of 5, and where one of every four pregnant women dies.

Photo: Courtesy Afghan Culture

Reminders Of War...Or A Children's Playground

2010-08-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

These vestiges of the war with the Soviets still litter roadsides in Afghanistan more than two decades later.

Long dead, the rusty hulks have become playgrounds of sorts for neighborhood children – and are a stark reminder that war is the one constant of that rugged nation. These five tanks are a little more than a mile east of Afshar Hospital on the outskirts of Kabul, but just north of the city limits is a huge cemetery of rolling armor, according to this account on the Planet Bizarre Web site.

The rotting metal carcasses are part of the landscape now, although they still draw scorn. Residents have tossed garbage at these tanks near the hospital, creating a mini landfill nearby.

Still, new homes are being built within view of them. The opening of Afshar Hospital in 2009 had the same effect as a new school in Clovis: It was a magnet for growth even though the paved roads are pot marked with deep ruts designed to slow tanks during the 10-year war that ended in 1989.

It’s all the price of doing business at Afshar, where 110 employees work tirelessly to treat the 250,000 people who live in the area. In only 16 months, the number of patients has grown from about 800 per month to more than 4,000 monthly.

A group of doctors and developers from Fresno, Calif., upset with the high mortality rate among children and mothers in Afghanistan, formed the non-profit American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR) to finance and build the hospital.

The group’s success is pretty amazing considering the project was privately financed without any government help, and is in a war zone. Afshar is a full-service hospital and treats all comers. We chronicle the remarkable stories that come out of Afshar, so please follow our blog and Twitter accounts, and become a fan on Facebook.

And most importantly - become involved. It only takes a few dollars a day to supply the antibiotics and vitamins necessary to keep these children – 40% of who die before the age of 5 – alive.

Contributions to AMOR are used to continue to develop the hospital and improve patient care. More information can be obtained and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Communication Key To Good Health In Afghanistan

2010-08-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

Cell phones, such as the one this father is using outside Afshar Hospital in Kabul, proliferated in Afghanistan after the 2001 overthrow of the Taliban. By 2007, 150,000 people per month were signing up with cell phone carriers, bringing communication to a population that rarely used telephones, according to this MSNBC story.

In 2007, 12% of the Afghan population had cell phones.

Today, threats from the Taliban, which is attempting resurgence in parts of the nation, are forcing cell phone companies to cut back service. This Wall Street Journal story from March talks about how cell phones go dead at dusk in parts of Kandahar because the Taliban doesn’t want residents tipping off coalition troops.

In some cases, the Taliban destroys cell towers. It’s interesting how mobile phones – symbols of hope and progress – play a role in the constant tug of war that defines today’s Afghanistan.

So it is at Afshar Hospital, which opened in April 2009 and is privately financed by the non-profit American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR). The boy in this photograph is sick. He’s running a fever and his father sought treatment. Cell phones provide a crucial communications link between the impoverished citizens who live nearby and the Afghan doctors and nurses at the hospital.

More than 4,000 people are treated at Afshar Hospital each month. They might not all have cell phones, but you can be sure that doctors and others are still communicating the importance of daily vitamins, good nutrition, vaccinations and preventative care.

For more information or to make donations, please visit www.amorelief.org.

Afshar Hospital helps victims of nearby clash

2010-08-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

Afshar Hospital's primary mission is to treat women and children, but when disaster strikes its staff is more than ready to help.

Today, the normally quiet neighborhoods surrounding the 85-bed hospital on the southwestern outskirts of Kabul erupted in violence and the injured began arriving.

Dr. Ghulam Farooq, Afshar's medical director, reported this from the scene:

"Today on Friday August 13, nearly at 10 a.m., hot clashes started between two tribes (Hazaras and Kuchis) in the bottom of hills in Omid Sabz township near to our hospital," the hospital official said.

"Up to now (Afshar Hospital) has received 18 injured people."

The cause of the dispute is not known. However, the streets of Kabul are no stranger to gunfire and random violence.

The city is home to 5 million spread out over an area about the size of Fresno, Calif. The roads are often difficult to traverse and the population is poor. The United Nations reported recently that the numbers of refugees returning to the city is more than 800 a day, adding to the strain on resources and perhaps adding to tensions.

In addition, Kabul is a mixing pot of ethnicity. Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group but are split among different tribes, including Durrani, Ghilzai, Wardak, Jaji, Tani, Jadran, Mangal, Khugiani, Safi, Mohmand and Shinwari.

Tajiks make up the second largest ethnic group, followed by Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Qizilbash and others.

Those at Afshar Hospital were less concerned about what started the conflict than dealing with its aftermath. Farooq said on-call staff supported teams from the hospital to help all the injured people in Afshar's Urgent Care Department. After victims were stabilized, he said, some were sent to Emergency War Victims Hospital in Kabul by Afshar's new ambulance.

Farooq said Friday morning that according to media information the clash continued and "injured people and some dead bodies are still there." He said the army and police are trying their best to help victims and get them to Afshar.

"On behalf of (the Afshar Hospital) team say special thanks to all generous American Donors and AMOR board members who play a vital role in these health facilities," Farooq said.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org.

Afghan refugees are in desperate need of medical care

2010-08-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Refugee camps in and around Kabul are steadily swelling as families flee the fighting around their homes in southern Afghanistan.

Inside the refugee camps, Afghan residents are desperate for food, fuel and medical care. Hundreds of people gather at feeding centers, often barefoot on the freezing ground. Guards use rifles and whips to beat back the hungry and cold as they rush for supplies. It is difficult to avoid human excrement or piles of garbage, which are the conduit for the spread of contagious diseases.

Many of the families who now reside in Kabul’s refugee camps have suffered traumatic losses and injuries. They are pessimistic about the future.

Afshar Hospital provides one small glimmer of hope against this backdrop of despair. No one who seeks care at the hospital is turned away. But that work costs money.

In addition, Afghans who fled earlier fighting are now returning to the country, often to uncertain destinations. The United Nations News Service estimates 2.7 million Afghans now live in neighboring Iran and Pakistan and that an estimated 70,000 Afghan refugees have returned to their homeland so far this year.

The UN News Service reported that the United Nation's Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said the influx is "an indication that an increasing number of those who fled have confidence that they can live in the country despite the prevailing security and socio-economic challenges."

The refugee agency also estimated that more than 5 million Afghans, or 20 percent of the country’s 25 million people, have gone back home since 2002.

“There are issues related to land, property, housing, and employment that emerge daily. But the determination of the returnees to overcome these obstacles is remarkable,” said Ewen Macleod, the agency's representative in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s Acting Minister for Refugees and Repatriation, Abdul Rahim, was quoted as saying, “Continuing donor support for Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development programmes is needed to attract more refugees home in future.”

And that's exactly what Afshar Hospital is working to accomplish. Already, construction of the $3 million hospital has sparked construction in the southwestern region of Kabul where it was completed in April 2009.

Contributions of any size will be used to provide life saving medicines and treatments to those who need it the most. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ to donate online today.

AMOR's CEO Takes To The Airwaves

2010-08-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

Dr. Mark Scoffield, the chief executive officer of American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), has been spreading the organization's compelling story on radio and television stations.

On Tuesday, he sat down with KSEE 24 reporter Alex Delgado. They talked about the incredible success of Afshar Hospital in Afghanistan, which the Fresno-based non-profit privately financed and helped build in an effort to cut the horrifying mortality rate among children and mothers in that war-torn nation.

Here's a link to the broadcast.

That interview with Delgado was on the heels of Scoffield's appearance on Central Valley Talk Radio with John Malos. And last month, Scoffield was on ABC 30 in Fresno.

AMOR's story is fascinating and inspiring. It demonstrates what dedicated volunteers can accomplish when they are compelled to action. In this case, a group of Fresno-area doctors and developers, appalled to learn that 40% of all Afghan children die before the age of 5 and that one of every four mothers perishes during childbirth, was the catalyst for the $3-million, 85-bed Afshar Hospital.

The hospital opened in April 2009, and is now treating more than 4,000 patients per month. Afghans constructed and operate the hospital - and are seeing that dreadful mortality rate decrease.

One of the first patients was a mother who gave birth after eight previous pregnancies ended in the death of the child. And just last month, doctors saved a 4-day-old baby who had only hours to live.

In an impoverished nation such as Afghanistan, children die from simple diseases that are easily treatable with antibiotics, vitamins, proper nutrition. Only a few dollars a day from donors can save a life.

To learn more about AMOR, visit the Web site at http://www.amorelief.org/, or attend an informational session and fundraiser from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at Downing Planetarium & Museum at Fresno State University. Cost: $50/person; $75/couple; $10/under 18.

To purchase tickets or RSVP, please call Meagan Sells, AMOR's fundraising manager, 559-228-6140 or email her at msells@amorelif.org.

Hospital Sparks Building Boom

2010-08-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

Afshar Hospital in Afghanistan was a catalyst in much the same way schools are in the United States. Everyone wants to live near a new one.

That’s why construction is strong in the area. A five-story apartment building is only yards away, spacious houses are under construction nearby, and this contemporary-looking apartment house was finished a few years ago within 100 yards of the medical center.

The ground floor contains shops. The upper floors are apartments, which are available for rent or sale, said Dr. Mark Scoffield, the chief executive of American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), a Fresno-based non-profit that helped finance the construction of Afshar Hospital in the southwestern portion of Kabul. The hospital serves more than 4,000 people per month, and is expanding.

“When we started there was nothing out here,” Scoffield said. “Now, it is one of the nicest parts of town.”

Of course, “nice” is a relative term in a nation wracked by war, with absurdly high rates of poverty and mortality and with few planning and building codes. AMOR brought in independent inspectors to ensure Afshar Hospital was built to standards, but the same can’t be said of all the structures in the area.

The city’s infrastructure system was built to accommodate about 500,000 people, but the population of Kabul is in the millions. About 400,000 people live in a poverty-ridden region about three miles from the hospital, but with no roads its inhabitants have to trek five times as far in a circuitous route to reach the facility.

“We want to provide a road to them,” Scoffield said.

Contributions to America Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue the efforts to develop the hospital and improve the quality of care that patients receive. Only a few dollars goes a long way toward that goal. More information and donations can be found at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Kids Will Be Kids - Even In Afghanistan

2010-08-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

Children are pretty much the same everywhere. Give ‘em some swings and a what passes as a park, and they will climb aboard.

This swing set – rusty and with fading paint – is just outside Afshar Hospital in southwestern Kabul. In fact, the hospital is a backdrop in this photograph.

The kids are the ones who suffer in war-torn Afghanistan. About 40% of them die before they reach the age of 5.

These boys are lucky.

Maybe they’ll live to adulthood. Certainly, they have a better chance with Afshar Hospital so close. Developed by a Fresno-based nonprofit, American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), the facility’s main goal is to help care for children - to give them a fighting chance in a nation where fighting and death are sadly common.

Contributions to AMOR will be used to continue efforts to develop the hospital and to improve the quality of care that patients receive. Even donations of a few dollars go far in a country as underserved as Afghanistan. More information can be found and online donations made at www.amorelief.org.

Many Diseases Caused By a Lack of Public Sanitation

2010-08-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

Many areas of Kabul don’t have potable running water, sewer systems, or garbage disposal service. In the absence of a public health infrastructure, many Afghans get communicable diseases.

Public health problems are compounded by high illiteracy rates and low educational levels. People don’t know what steps they should take to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. They lack the most rudimentary understanding of personal hygiene and basic sanitary practices.

This photo was taken in downtown Kabul looking across the “river” toward an open market. To rebuild Afghanistan and protect the public health, the country will need to develop systems for garbage collection and disposal.

Here’s a typical hillside neighborhood in Kabul. The homes don’t have running water or proper sewer systems. People get water from a common well shown in the bottom right corner of this photograph.

Building standards are non-existent and neighborhoods have been ravaged by decades of war and political turmoil. The human toll is heartbreaking. Forty percent of all children die before age 5. One of every four mothers dies in childbirth.

The average lifespan of an Afghan adult is 42 years of age. Compare that with the average life span in the United States: 75 years for a man and 80 years for a woman.

Afshar Hospital, financed and built by American Medical Overseas Relief, a nonprofit based in Fresno, Calif., has worked to identify and treat diseases that are spread by unsanitary environmental conditions. The Hospital’s employees also work to educate patients about steps they can take to keep themselves and their families healthy and prevent the spread of these diseases to others.

But AMOR can’t do it without financial help. Even a few dollars helps provide vital medicine and assistance.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org.

AMOR seeks to spread message of hope for Afshar Hospital

2010-07-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

Afshar Hospital is a good story.

Every day the doctors, nurses and orderlies at the 85-bed hospital in war-ravaged Kabul, Afghanistan save lives and fulfill the hospital's mission of bringing basic health care to women and children.

"The first baby born at Afshar Hospital was a mother with eight previous pregnancies and all eight had ended with the death of the baby," Dr. Mark Scoffield, executive director of American Medical Overseas Relief, told KFSN ABC 30 in Fresno during a segment last week.

Afshar opened a little more than a year ago. The nonprofit began as the vision of San Joaquin Valley developers and local doctors. Now it treats thousands of patients every month.

Scoffield wants to get that message out. He's also appeared on KYNO 940 AM radio in Fresno and Ariana Television, which broadcasts in Afghanistan and has offices in Los Angeles.

Scoffield is available to appear as a guest on local talk shows -- radio or television -- across the state or country. They must be set up in advance, of course, as he travels frequently to Afghanistan. Just contact us here or comment on this post, leaving contact information. We welcome the opportunity to speak with you.

The $3 million hospital is saving patients in a region where 40 percent of all children die before the age of 5 and one in four Afghan women die during childbirth. The organization is seeking to build understanding of the challenges in Afghanistan and improve health care for the people in the country.

Photo: Mark Scoffield, left, at Afshar Hospital earlier this year.

Afshar Hospital's message of hope broadcast on ABC30

2010-07-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

ABC30 in Fresno aired a segment on Afshar Hospital, calling the Kabul nonprofit a "beacon of hope."

Dr. Mark Scoffield, executive director of Fresno-based American Medical Overseas Relief, which operates Afshar, spoke to KFSN reporter Nancy Osborne via computer for the story. He was in Afghanistan on a trip that coincided with that of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.

Scoffield explained the challenge faced by Afshar, a privately funded 85-bed hospital that specializes in serving women and children's health care needs. "The first baby born at Afshar Hospital was a mother with eight previous pregnancies and all eight had ended with the death of the baby," Scoffield told Osborne.

Fresno developer Darius Assemi, who serves as a vice president of AMOR, said Afshar's mission is to offer help to the Afghan people. "People are dying from simple disease that we can cure by over the counter drugs," he said.

Afshar has seen about 17,000 patients since opening a year ago. It saves patients in a region where 40 percent of all children die before the age of 5 and one in four Afghan women die during childbirth.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Secretary of State emphasizes importance of women -- and their health -- to Afghanistan's future

2010-07-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said on her recent trip to Kabul, Afghanistan this week that women's rights and those of other groups factor heavily in the country's reconstruction.

"The work of Afghan women and civil society groups will be essential to this country’s success," she told representatives from 70 countries and international organizations attending the Kabul Conference. "If these groups are fully empowered to help build a just and lasting peace, they will help do so. But if they are silenced and pushed to the margins of Afghan society, the prospects for peace and justice will be subverted."

Clinton also stressed the importance of addressing the needs of women and children to Afghanistan's future. Her goals mirror that of nonprofit American Medical Overseas Relief and Dr. Mark Scoffield, its executive director.

Scoffield, who is in Kabul this week, said AMOR's goals are similar to that of Clinton's. He said the organization's efforts build relationships with community and tribal leaders will build better relations on multiple levels, including and especially health care.

American Medical Overseas Relief operates Afghanistan’s newest privately funded hospital, which has seen about 17,000 patients since opening a year ago. The 85-bed, $3 million Afshar Hospital gears much of its efforts to addressing health care needs of women and children, saving patients in a region where 40 percent of all children die before the age of 5 and one in four Afghan women die during childbirth.

Clinton, who arrived in the Afghan city to a rocket attack by insurgents on the international airport, applauded the government of President Hamid Karzai for dealing with corruption and a host of other challenges and for his decree establishing the Afghan peace and reintegration program.

However, she said much work remains. "Both the Afghan people and the people of the international community expect results," she said.

Clinton also said that during a meeting with "a number of Afghan women leaders who are doing heroic work to strengthen their communities and country," she announced several new U.S.-funded programs to improve maternal and child health.

"We will double our support for the Ministry of Public Health’s Community Midwifery Education Program and begin a new Community Nursing Education Program," she said. "And we will increase funding to programs that support gender equality in Afghanistan and an advocacy campaign to encourage religious leaders and influential members of communities across the country to encourage women and their families to access maternal health services."

In that, the State Department is in lock-step with the goals of Afshar Hospital.

Later on Tuesday taking questions from the press, Clinton said, "And I’m even thinking maybe we should be looking for ways we can make a stronger public education case, because in listening to the women this morning, I asked them if they thought mindsets had changed, and several of them said that they had, that there had been people who said, well, it was a mistake not to let our girls go to school during those five years, or it was a mistake to take our women teachers out of the classroom.

"And one woman said that one of –- some man had said to her that the way he convinces people to be in favor of women is to say, 'If your wife has to go to the hospital, do you want her treated by a male doctor or a female doctor? And if you want a female doctor, then we have to have female doctors.' So there’s a discussion going on in the society, and I want to really encourage that."

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Photo: Courtesy State Department. Clinton visits with reporters after attending women's empowerment event in Kabul.

Clinton, Scoffield both promote women's health in Afghanistan

2010-07-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

This week, the arrival in Kabul, Afghanistan of Dr. Mark Scoffield coincided with that of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who was to attend an international conference after two days in Islamabad, Pakistan.

While their roles couldn’t be more different, their goals are similar: to promote collaboration, healing and development in the war-torn nation.

Our “efforts here in Kabul (are) to work with community leaders, tribal leaders and others to develop a better relationship, which will in turn improve relations with America, the rest of the world and, of course, provide much needed health care,” said Scoffield, executive director of American Medical Overseas Relief, or AMOR.

American Medical Overseas Relief operates Afghanistan’s newest privately funded hospital, which has seen about 17,000 patients since opening a year ago. The 85-bed, $3 million Afshar Hospital gears much of its efforts to addressing health care needs of women and children, saving patients in a region where 40 percent of all children die before the age of 5 and one in four Afghan women die during childbirth.

Clinton also made clear her desire to improve the lives of Afghan women. According to the Washington Post, she met with a group of women Tuesday morning and told them “she was aware of their concerns about the reconciliation process (with the Taliban) and gave them her ‘personal commitment’ that she would continue to raise the issue of women's rights with Karzai and with other governments.

"I intend to keep raising it because I don't want anyone to be under any mistaken impression.” Peace and stability, she said, "can't come at the cost of women's and children's lives."

Afshar Hospital employs about 110 people and was built through donations from AMOR, a nonprofit focused on improving health standards in communities throughout the Middle East. AMOR focuses on maternal and newborn care, children’s care, trauma and urgent care, nutrition and other health issues.

Contributions to AMOR will be used to continue promoting health care in Afghanistan and expand the effort in other Middle Eastern countries. For more information, go to http://www.amorelief.org/.

Security Concerns Lead To Separate Entrances

2010-07-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Afshar Hospital has separate entrances for men and women because they are searched for weapons and contraband. This is the door for men.

In war-torn Afghanistan, weapons are often in plain view - and hospital officials don’t want people with guns inside their facility. So, visitors are patted down, with female guards searching women and males searching men.

“AK-47s are all over the city,” says Dr. Mark Scoffield, chief executive officer of American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), which helped build the badly needed hospital in Kabul. “This is a real search for weapons and when we find them we turn people away.”

Look closely and you can see the no-weapons sign on the entry doors. It is a picture of an AK-47 with an “X” through it.

Afshar Hospital provides a lifeline in a nation where lives often are short. It is making a difference in a region where 40% of all children die before reaching 5 years of age. The facility’s 110 Afghan employees treat about 4,000 people per month. Many of them are women and children, but the dedicated doctors treat all comers.

And they come from miles around. There is a shortage of hospitals in the area and many people walk for miles to reach Afshar.

The hospital relies on private donations to operate, and contributions of any size are welcome. In fact, small contributions go a long way in a nation as impoverished as Afghanistan. A few dollars is enough to provide vital medicine.

If you want to help, contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop the hospital and improve the quality of care. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

The Power of Chocolate In Afshar Hospital

2010-07-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

A resident doctor at Afshar Hospital in Kabul came up with a simple way to get a recalcitrant mother-in-law to change her mind.

Ply her with chocolate.

Accommodating a sweet tooth works as well in Afghanistan as it does in the U.S. In this case, the elder was persuaded to allow a photograph of her and her family with faces of the women uncovered. That’s a sign of progressivism in a country where, until the Taliban was overthrown in 2002, women were ordered to stay under wraps.

The family was at the hospital because the younger woman had just given birth. Also at the hospital was Dr. Mark Scoffield, chief executive officer of American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), a nonprofit humanitarian organization that helped develop the badly needed medical center.

Scoffield, knowing hospital officials had treated the young mother six months earlier, possibly saving her baby, wanted to remember the event with a picture.

But the young mother refused unless her husband agreed. Just then, the husband – carrying a gift for the wife, which is a rarity in male-dominated Afghanistan - came walking up the hallway. But he also declined a photograph, this time deferring to his mother-in-law.

In Afghanistan, girls are often discounted. But their mothers-in-law are revered – and are often the decision makers. That was the case here. The older woman initially said ‘no,’ but was persuaded with a piece of chocolate. This was the result: A touching photograph of a happy smiling family – along with the newest member of the clan.

Infant mortality is high in Afghanistan (40% of all children die before age 5), so Afshar Hospital provides a crucial service. Afshar Hospital is privately financed, so donations are vital. Even a few dollars provides vital medicine and services.

If you want to help, contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to further develop the hospital and improve the quality of patient care. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

AMOR's CEO Spreads Message On Radio

2010-07-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

The humanitarian work of American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR)is centered in war-torn and impoverished Afghanistan, but many of the principals behind the effort are in Fresno, CA.

Today, radio listeners in Fresno and the rest of the San Joaquin Valley learned more about why the doctors and developers behind AMOR are so passionate about the cause. The non-profit's CEO, Dr. Mark Scoffield, appeared on Straight Talk with Bill McEwen on KYNO 940 AM.

The supporters have ambitious plans. They helped develop Afshar Hospital in Kabul, which is treating about 4,000 people per month, including this patient who is receiving guests, and want to replicate the medical facility in other underserved countries in the Middle East. .

A key objective is to cut the infant mortality rate, which reaches 40% in Afghanistan. The good news is that even the most basic care goes a long way toward that goal. With even small donations, people can bring hope and life to a nation where both can be in short supply, Scoffield said.

Sixty cents is enough to buy a week's worth of antibiotics for one child. Ten dollars a month will keep four Afghan children alive for a year. To learn more or to donate, go to AMOR's Website, http://www.amorelief.org/, or listen to McEwen's conversation with Scoffield at http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?c=29. Adobe Flash Player is required.

Nomadic tribes present unique healthcare challenges

2010-07-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

Kuchis are Afghan Pashtun nomads. An estimated 3 million Kuchis live in Afghanistan and 60 percent remain fully nomadic. Their customary routines have been disrupted by decades of war; floods and droughts; and political actions like the closing of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in the early 1960s.

Meeting the health care needs of nomadic tribes like the Kuchis is especially challenging. Sanitation and personal hygiene are challenging without running water. Post-treatment and follow-up care can lead to complications.

The ethnic make-up of the country is 42 percent Pashtun, 27 percent Tajik, 9 percent Hazara, 9 percent Uzbek, 4 percent Aimak, 3 percent Turkmen, 2 percent Baloch and 4 percent other, according to afghanistan.saarctourism.org.

Kuchi means nomad in Pashtun. There are about 25 million Afghans.

The Associated Press reported in a past story that for "more than 3,000 years, Kuchis were Afghanistan's pre-eminent transporters and traders, serving as a mobile bridge between South Asia and the Middle East." But now that lifestyle is changing, and the Kuchis who aren't changing with it often end up on the wrong side of a warlord's agenda with many being forced to beg.

Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai, a member of the Grand Council of Kuchis, told the AP about four years ago: "Nomadic life is coming to an end. Ninety-eight percent of the Kuchi lifestyle has changed. The grazing land is not there, transportation and trade has changed so much. Kuchis are not needed."

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to provide basic medical care to groups like these. Visit http://www.amorelief.org/ to donate online.

Photo: The Kuchi encampment is less than a mile from Afshar Hospital. Many in this group had never seen a doctor or received medical care until Afshar Hospital opened in April 2009.

Afshar Hospital and AMOR gaining higher profile

2010-07-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

American Medical Overseas Relief and its hospital project in war-torn Afghanistan were in the news recently. AMOR's CEO, Mark Scoffield, chatted with McClatchy Newspapers reporter Mark Seidman during a late June visit to Washington D.C.

The interview coincided with confirmation hearings for Gen. David Petraeus, who replaces Gen. Stanley McChrystal as top general in Afghanistan. Scoffield said the work at Afshar Hospital, which AMOR helped finance, shouldn't be affected by the change in leadership.

Afshar Hospital provides a vital function in Kabul. It's doctors and staff treated more than 4,200 Afghans in May - and thousands more since opening in April 2009 - and numbers continue to grow. The 85-bed facility is a lifeline for thousands of residents and provides hope in a country where hope is in short supply.

Did you know that 40% of all children in Afghanistan die before the age of 5, and that one of every four mothers die giving birth? Afshar Hospital and AMOR, which is based in Fresno, Calif., are determined to reduce those percentages.

But it's tough. The hospital relies heavily on donations, and everything is shipped in. And Afghanistan's infrastructure is in shambles. The good news is that donations as small as $10 go a long way in a nation with such limited resources.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop the hospital – and others in the Middle East - and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Afshar Hospital: Working Hard to Save Lives

2010-07-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Much of the equipment at Afshar Hospital was donated from medical centers in the United States. As such, a lot of it is older technology. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t effective.

In war-torn Afghanistan, where 40% of all children die before age 5 and where one of every four mothers dies giving birth, such technology saves lives. Some of the equipment came from hospitals in Fresno, where the developer of Afshar Hospital – American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR) – is based.

The 85-bed hospital in southwest Kabul is Afghanistan’s newest. It was privately financed, treats up to 5,000 patients per month and employs 110 people. People trek for miles on foot to reach the hospital. It is a lifeline in that part of the nation, and every donation helps keep someone alive.

X-ray machines, EKG machines, ultrasounds and drugs are shipped in from other countries. Hospital staff had to develop diagnostic and treatment codes and systems for maintaining records.

But much more is needed. Operating a hospital in a region with few resources, little hope and many challenges is a daily miracle. Every donation, no matter the size, helps.

Did you know that only a few dollars can buy antibiotics? A little goes a long way in a country like Afghanistan. Please help.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop the hospital – and others in the Middle East - and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Afshar Hospital to hit the airwaves in Fresno

2010-07-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

American Medical Overseas Relief's executive director is scheduled to appear on Fresno radio station KYNO.

Dr. Mark Scoffield will use the opportunity to talk about the latest at Afshar Hospital and the increasing number of patient visits, challenges of running an urgent care operation in wartime and recognition by the U.S. Department of State for its efforts to provide health care and ease the suffering of the residents of Kabul and surrounding countryside.

Scoffield will appear on Straight Talk with Bill McEwan at 12:15 p.m. July 12. Tune your dials to AM 940. Please listen and even call in. If you are listening on the Internet, you can listen at http://www.940kyno.com/. Call in at (559) 485-2940.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/. The nonprofit is saving lives in a war-torn and tattered nation where 40% of all children perish before the age of 5, and where one of every four pregnant women dies.

Photo: Scoffield stands to the far left in a picture taken at Afshar recently.

Women doctors gain profile at Afshar Hospital

2010-07-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

Women in Afghanistan have gained a higher profile since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. They are no longer required to be covered head to toe. Some have been appointed to government positions and more are going to work and school.

But, they still have a way to go. Conservative values still linger in many places, and advancements come slow.

Female physicians are increasing in number, but they still have to overcome educational and cultural hurdles, said Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of nonprofit American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), which helped build Afshar Hospital in southwestern Afghanistan. The hospital has two female doctors, both of whom work in the maternity ward, and several women in other capacities.

“The family of the woman has to be progressive,” Scoffield said of the challenges women doctors face. “Often, they have to get around certain labels. It’s a male-dominated society, so they have that hurdle, plus the expense (of going to school.).”

Many women in the war-torn nation are desperate for work. It is a nation of widows, and they need to support their families. So, more are enrolling in training programs and trying to get educated.

Afshar Hospital employs about 110 people and hopes to grow to employ more. Contributions to AMOR will be used to continue efforts to develop the hospital and to improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and online donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Old habits die hard

2010-06-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Progress comes slowly to Afghanistan, where a woman, when the Taliban was in power, could have been beaten for showing her face in public.

The Taliban was tossed out in 2002, but these women still turned their heads away in 2010 in the presence of a photographer. The women were waiting at Afshar Hospital in Kabul when this photo was taken.

The hospital, built with funds raised by American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), helps saves lives in a nation where 40% of children die before age 5.

AMOR is trying to expand medical services in war-torn Afghanistan and other nations in the Middle East. If you want to help, more information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

A week in the life of Afshar Hospital: Day 5

2010-06-23T11:41:00.000-07:00

Editor’s note: These stories, though not in sequence, are representative of a week at Afghanistan’s newest hospital – one built with the help of American Medical Overseas Relief, a Fresno-based non-profit dedicated to improving living conditions in troubled parts of the world.

DAY 5

Afshar Hospital saved the life of this 75-year-old patient, who checked in Dec. 15, 2009, with a high fever, severe shortness of breath and a bad cough.

His hands and lips were turning blue, and his heartbeat was irregular. A chest X-ray revealed evidence of an old case of TB, fluid in the lungs and an enlarged heart.

He was living on borrowed time. And not much was left.

“He had an infection throughout his body, had a rapid heartbeat and a lung problem,” said Dr. Mark Scoffield, chief executive officer of AMOR. “Without medical treatment, he would be been dead within 72 hours.”

Resident doctors couldn’t find the more powerful drugs they wanted, so they used the more readily available Lidocaine. Fortunately, the patient responded after 16 hours of treatment and was discharged from the hospital six days after walking into the outpatient department.

“The doctors did a great job with what was available,” Scoffield said. “With simple and inexpensive procedures, we can save lives.”

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop and efficient medical-delivery system and improve the quality of patient care. More information can found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

A week in the life of Afshar Hospital: Day 4

2010-06-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

Editor’s note: These stories, though not in sequence, are representative of a week at Afghanistan’s newest hospital – one built with the help of American Medical Overseas Relief, a Fresno-based non-profit dedicated to improving living conditions in troubled parts of the world.

DAY 4

The symptoms were serious.

A 45-year-old Afghan man came to the outpatient department gasping for breath, bloated and turning blue. He was immediately hospitalized.

Tests revealed an enlarged heart, the result of childhood rheumatic fever. He was treated and released after eight days in the hospital. Doctors say he needs a heart valve replacement.

Whether that happens remains to be seen, but one thing is almost certain: The case strikes at the heart of why Afshar Hospital was built.

The hospital staff wants to keep childhood diseases such as rheumatic fever away, said Mark Scoffield, CEO of Afshar. Had it been treated properly when he was a kid, this man would never have been in Afshar Hospital as an adult.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical-delivery system and improve the quality of patient care. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

A Week In The Life Of Afshar Hospital: Day 3

2010-06-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Editor’s note: These stories, though not in sequence, are representative of a week at Afghanistan’s newest hospital – one built with the help of American Medical Overseas Relief, a Fresno-based non-profit dedicated to improving living conditions in troubled parts of the world.

DAY 3

A woman, 65 years old, visited the outpatient department, saying her abdomen and legs were swollen. She said she had been that way for almost three weeks.

Her blood pressure was down, she had difficulty breathing and had a long history of coughing.

Tests revealed a heart murmur.

She was prescribed certain drugs and discharged in stable condition. A follow-up exam two weeks later showed no symptoms.

Such cases in the United States are almost routine. The woman would be administered medicine and face possible surgery.

In Afghanistan, the cases are more complicated, especially before Afshar Hospital was built in 2009. “She would not have had any access to drugs before,” said Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of American Medical Overseas Relief, a non-profit organization that helped develop the hospital. “Eventually she would have passed away because her breathing would have become worse.”

Afshar Hospital is saving lives in a war-weary nation. About 40% of all children in Afghanistan die before age 5, and one of every four mothers dies during childbirth. AMOR is committed to reducing those mortality rates. In this photo, hospital staffers are treating an infant.

The 85-bed hospital also provides emergency services, a full-service pharmacy and educational programs, such as nutrition counseling. Its 110 employees are providing hope to a region that had little or no hope before.

But, it’s a challenge to operate a hospital in a region with an inadequate infrastructure. Did you know that many of the thousands of people treated each month have to walk miles to get there?
The hospital depends upon contributions to operate, and AMOR wants to expand its mission.

Small donations – even a few dollars - go a long way in a nation as impoverished as Afghanistan. Please help.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop and efficient medical delivery system, and improve the quality of care. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org.

Huff Post Spreads Story of Afshar Hospital

2010-06-15T15:47:00.000-07:00

A hospital in Afghanistan, started by doctors and developers from Fresno, Calif., who dare to dream big, is saving lives in a region where people die all too soon.

Afshar Hospital is treating thousands of people each month, only a year after opening. It is giving hope to people who had little or none before - and who were dying from ailments and diseases that are easily treatable in the United States.

The hospital's chief mission is to decrease the infant mortality rate in a country where 40% of all children die before the age of 5, and where one in every four mothers dies giving birth.

But, the hospital also provides emergency medical care, nutritional advice and has a full-service pharmacy.

The woman pictured in this photograph nearly died when she came to the 85-bed hospital sick and pregnant. A simple vitamin shot saved her. She gave birth to a healthy baby only a few months later.

The compelling story of Afshar is starting to resonate.

Here's a profile that ran today in Huffington Post.

The Fresno group started the non-profit American Medical Overseas Relief to help build the hospital, but need funds to expand its reach, and to replicate the hospital in other parts of the Middle East.

The good thing is that small donations go a long way there. Ten dollars is enough to make a major change, and can be made simply by going to the Website, http://www.amorelief.org/

Please help: you are saving lives.

Day 2: A week in the life of Afshar Hospital

2010-06-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

These stories, though not in sequence, are representative of a week at Afghanistan’s newest hospital – one built with the help of American Medical Overseas Relief, a Fresno-based non-profit dedicated to improving living conditions in troubled parts of the world.

The woman was 60 years old when she walked into the outpatient department with a high fever, and dry cough. Her heart rate was fine, but a lab work-up revealed remnants of an old case of tuberculosis and a urinary tract infection.

Doctors hospitalized her, and it’s a good thing they did. Three days later, she experienced heaviness in her chest. A subsequent CT scan showed a massive pulmonary artery embolism.

Left untreated, such blockages can cause death.

But thanks to the doctors at Afshar Hospital, the patient was prescribed heparin and warfarin and discharged eight days later – after administering a little patient education, too.

This case is typical in war-torn Afghanistan, where poverty is overwhelming and medical care can be rudimentary. AMOR is trying to change that.

Afshar recognized by U.S. State Department

2010-06-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Afshar Hospital, Afghanistan's newest, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of State for its efforts to provide health care and ease the suffering of the residents of Kabul and surrounding countryside.

In a letter to Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, Richard Verma, the agency's assistant secretary legislative affairs, called Afghanistan's health care system "among the least effective in the world." And he said, "The building of Afshar Hospital is an important response to this important problem and a testament to American generosity and resourcefulness."

Verma also praised Dr. Mark Scoffield, president and CEO of American Overseas Medical Relief, which helped build and supports Afshar. He said in the letter that his agency has followed up with the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and has confirmed that a USAID technical health team "will schedule a visit in the near future to assess the needs of the hospital in order to identify potential areas of collaboration."

Afshar, with 110 employees and 85 beds, has saved many lives since opening in 2009. About 3,000 people per month come to the hospital, which is in a badly under-served region. The facility treats everybody, but focuses on maternal and newborn care, trauma and urgent care and nutrition and other issues.

Afghanistan is a nation in shambles, and the hospital is in an area with a shortage of doctors. Some 40% of all Afghan children die before they reach 5 years old, one of every four mothers dies giving birth and 39% of all children there are malnourished.

Afshar Hospital is working to save lives, one child at a time. Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to provide basic immunizations and medicine to children like these. Contributions can be made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

A Week In The Life Of Afshar Hospital

2010-06-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

Editor’s note: These stories, though not in sequence, are representative of a week at Afghanistan’s newest hospital – one that was built with the help of American Medical Overseas Relief, a Fresno-based non-profit dedicated to improving living conditions in troubled parts of the world.

DAY 1

The 65-year-old man came into the emergency room at 2 o’clock in the morning with extreme chest pain. His pulse rate and blood pressure were falling, and the situation was serious.

He was having a heart attack.

“His system was shutting down,” said Dr. Mark Scoffield, chief executive officer of American Medical Overseas Relief, (AMOR) which helped finance and develop the 85-bed hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. “He could have died that day.”

But he didn’t. Resident physicians at Afshar Hospital pumped the anticoagulant Heparin into the man and kept him hospitalized. The Afghan man and his doctors fought off a high fever and onset of pneumonia before he was released symptom free eight days later.

“Afshar Hospital saved his life,” Scoffield said. “There is no doubt about it.”

Afshar, with 110 employees, has saved many lives since opening in 2009. About 3,000 people per month come to the hospital, which is in a badly under served region. The facility treats everybody, but focuses on maternal and newborn care, trauma and urgent care and nutrition and other issues.

Afghanistan is a nation in shambles, and the hospital is in an area with a shortage of doctors. Do you know that 40% of all Afghan children die before they reach 5 years old, that one of every four mothers dies giving birth and 39% of all children there are malnourished?

Even the most basic care saves lives, and small contributions go a long way in a nation as impoverished as this one.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system, improve the quality of care that patients receive and to expand AMOR's efforts. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Afshar’s urgent care is different than those in U.S.

2010-06-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Many hospitals in America have trauma units that are equipped to handle badly injured victims of accidents, gunshots and stabbings.

Afshar Hospital in Afghanistan, developed with the help of Fresno-based nonprofit American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), has a more scaled-down urgent care center.

Staffers treat about 30 people per day, including critically injured, but more than likely a seriously hurt trauma patient will be stabilized and prepared for transport to other hospitals.

“We don’t have the capacity to handle those,” said Dr. Mark Scoffield, chief executive officer of AMOR.

The 85-bed, $3 million Afshar Hospital will treat anyone who comes in, but its mission is to provide basic medical procedures to keep people alive in a nation where 40% of all children die before age 5.

The facility is in southwestern Kabul, an underserved region where insufficient infrastructure often forces patients to trek a circuitous route to receive care. Many patients are poorly nourished and are threatened by ailments or illnesses that could be easily cured in the United States.

“The standard of care in Afghanistan is such that someone in a relatively minor car accident could die,” said Scoffield. “Basic medical procedures (such as those by Afshar) can be life-changing in that society.”

Afshar Hospital has essential equipment such as EKG machines, oxygen tanks and the like, but much of it is years old and donated. Outdated by U.S. standards, it provides a vital function in war-weary Afghanistan.

Pictured are five members of the urgent care staff. They are a small but critical component of a miracle-making 110-member staff that is dedicated to AMOR’s mission to improve health standards throughout the Middle East.

If you want to help, contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop the hospital and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information and donations can be made at www.amorelief.org.

Message Of Afshar Hospital Is Being Heard

2010-06-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

The compelling story of Afshar Hospital and American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR) is spreading.

This article in MedShare's newsletter chronicles the history of Afshar Hospital, the vital role it plays in war-ravaged and medically impoverished Afghanistan and the strong bond that links MedShare and AMOR.

MedShare helps supply the 85-bed hospital that AMOR built - and it's not easy. Supplies are shipped to Pakistan and then transported in a treacherous journey to Kabul, where they are used to save lives in a nation where 40% of all children die before the age of 5, and where one of every four mothers dies giving birth.

MedShare recounts the touching story of an Afghan mother, whose eight previous children died during birth, finally becoming successful on her ninth attempt - after Afshar doctors revived the infant's breathing.

The MedShare story is the second to feature AMOR and Afshar in recent weeks. Elan magazine, which dubs itself "The Guide to Global Muslim Culture" and can be found at http://www.elanthemag.com/, had a story in May, and Huffington Post is reportedly interested in running a piece.

Afshar and AMOR are saving thousands of lives, but need donations to continue their vital work and to expand.

Keeping hospital's pharmacy full is challenge

2010-06-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

The pharmacy in Afshar Hospital in Kabul may be well stocked, but it won’t be that way very long. With 3,000 patients per month coming through the hospital, maintaining stocked shelves is a challenge.

Not only are local sources of pharmaceuticals non-existent, but the Afghan government has said it won’t allow any medicine that expires in less than a year to be stocked.

That means hospital administrators are constantly working to fill supplies, many of which are generic medicines donated from The Netherlands and other nations.

The Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan has a plan that calls for 400 basic medicines to be stocked; Afshar has been able to find about 160 of them.

“It’s a good cross section,” says Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), a Fresno-based nonprofit that helped develop the hospital. “But many are too expensive or rarely used.”

The pharmacy at Afshar Hospital employs four people who write up to 170 prescriptions per day. Judging by the photo on top, it is a very busy place.

Scoffield says having even the most basic drug in stock can save a life in a nation as impoverished and medically deficient as Afghanistan. Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop the hospital and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Afshar Hospital’s Urgent Care Department provides relief

2010-06-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Some estimate there is one doctor for every 50,000 residents in Afghanistan. As a comparison, Idaho has 85 doctors for every 50,000 residents - and the state ranks last in terms of physicians per capita in the United States.

The lack of access to basic medical care is one reason why the World Health Organization cites Afghanistan as having the worst health indicators in history.

Millions of Afghans die of preventable diseases or suffer from untreated injuries, and Save the Children estimates that a skilled medical professional is in attendance at only 14% of all births in Afghanistan.

When Afshar Hospital opened in April 2009, more than 800 patients were treated. By the end of 2009, the number of patients had risen to more than 2,000 per month. By the middle of this year, Afshar Hospital expects to treat 3,000 patients each month.

Afshar is making a difference in people lives, one patient at a time.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org.
Photo: The patient waits to see a doctor at Afshar Hospital. Before the Hospital’s doors opened in April 2009, he probably wouldn’t have been able to see a doctor.

Afshar Hospital uses local craftsmen

2010-05-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

The pharmacy at Afshar Hospital in Kabul is a busy place. Four employees issue about 170 prescriptions per day from a room that is unlike any you will find in the United States.

The wooden trim and cabinets evident in these photographs are constructed from hand-crafted dark-stained wood. Detailed and sturdy, they would set hospital officials back a pretty sum in America. In Afghanistan, it’s standard operating procedure.

There are not many cabinet shops in Afghanistan, so American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), the nonprofit that helped finance and develop Afshar Hospital, turned to local craftsmen.

“If you want cabinets, you have to go to Dubai,” said Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of AMOR. “(Production cabinet makers) don’t exist. Almost everything is custom made. This has local flavor and is unique.”

Craftsmen are returning to business in Afghanistan after years of war and destruction. The nation is regaining its footing after the Taliban was tossed out in 2002, but progress has been slow. Unemployment is rampant, poverty is everywhere and Afshar Hospital provides a lifeline and sanctuary in a nation that is still teetering.

If you want to help, contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop the hospital and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Magazine posts story about AMOR

2010-05-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Farrah Hamid, editorial director of elan magazine, posted a story about American Medical Overseas Relief today.

Entitled "US-based AMOR Delivers Basic Care in Afghanistan," the piece talks about Hamid's meeting with Dr. Mark Scoffield, AMOR chief executive, in December at the 9th Annual MPAC convention in Long Beach and a little about the organization and hospital.

Elan dubs itself "The Guide to Global Muslim Culture" and can be found at http://www.elanthemag.com/.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Medical care delivered to Wardak Orphanage

2010-05-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

As a result of decades of war, one of every 12 Afghan children have lost both their parents. Many are now living in orphanages.

In other cases, some families are so poor, they have no choice but to turn some of their children over to orphanages.

The Wardak Orphanage is located abut an hour’s drive away from Afshar Hospital in Kabul. As part of its community outreach efforts, Afshar Hospital is developing a relationship with the orphanage. The hospital provides on-site medical care to the orphans as well as people in the surrounding community. And for many of the Wardak orphans, this is the first medical care they’ve received in their lives.

Along with health care, Afshar Hospital offers some hope for the future. But that care costs money.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org.

Afshar Hospital delivers basic care needed to survive

2010-05-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

What would you do if you were relatively young, six months pregnant, feeling nauseated, off balance and going blind?

That’s a frightening combination for anybody, and in Afghanistan, where medical care is often rudimentary at best, it can be especially dangerous.

But this smiling woman was fortunate. She chose to search out Afshar Hospital, which was built in Kabul with the help of American Medical Overseas Relief (AMOR), a nonprofit that seeks to improve care in the Middle East.

When she showed up in Afshar’s Urgent Care center, doctors immediately thought brain stem lesion. “They were terrified they would lose both the baby and the mother,” said Mark Scoffield, chief executive officer of AMOR.

But an MRI and other tests ruled out the lesion. So doctors methodically worked through a list of possible causes until they came to vitamin B-12 deficiency. Could it be that simple? Could something that horrible be corrected with more vitamins?

Yes, it can. Vitamin B-12 is essential for the formation of red blood cells, and a short supply of it causes anemia. Which is common in pregnant women anyway. Two hours after the shot, the woman felt much better. Hospital personnel prescribed a daily B-12 vitamin and six months later the patient delivered a healthy baby. Most likely, the woman was not eating properly.

The ending might not have been so happy if AMOR had not helped develop a hospital to serve the southwestern part of Kabul.

Hospital officials are teaching residents about proper nutrition and other life skills. Even basic knowledge saves lives in Afghanistan. By doing so, AMOR is helping women deliver healthy babies in a nation where 40% of the children die before age 5.

AMOR is off to a good start, but much more is needed. If you want to help, contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will continue efforts to develop the hospital and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at http://www.amorelief.org/.

Raiders fan halfway around the world

2010-05-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

American football is known around the world. But who would expect to find a young Oakland Raiders fan on the dusty streets of Kabul near Afshar Hospital?

The living conditions are so dire in Afghanistan, this young boy probably doesn’t know who the Raiders are. Donated clothes are common in the Afshar area of Kabul so this boy probably feels lucky to have a shirt on his back.

In the United States, kids in this age group are tossing footballs around and dreaming of making it to the NFL. In Kabul, kids this age haven’t had basic immunizations to protect them from measles, mumps, or rubella. They probably haven’t seen a doctor or received medical care of any type.

According to the World Health Organization, health conditions in Afghanistan are the worst in history. Some 40% of children in Afghanistan die before age 5 of treatable and preventable childhood illnesses. In most countries, diseases like diarrhea are easily treated with over-the-counter medications. In Afghanistan, 19% of children under 5 die of diarrhea.

Fremont, Calif., near Oakland, in Alameda County is reported to be the home to the largest concentration of Afghans in the United States. Khaled Hosseini's 2003 novel “Kite Runner” mentioned the population. So the Raider connection may come from that area.

Afshar Hospital is working to save lives, one child at a time. Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to provide basic immunizations and medicine to children like these. Visit www.amorelief.org to donate online today.

Afshar Hospital’s Urgent Care Department is busy

2010-05-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

There aren’t many hospitals or medical clinics in Afghanistan.

As a result, millions of Afghans die of preventable diseases or suffer from untreated injuries. When Afshar Hospital opened in April 2009, Afghans gained access to desperately needed urgent care services. The hospital’s Urgent Care Department is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is able to treat all urgent medical conditions.

In the Urgent Care Department, a patient who fell off a roof had his leg bandaged and splinted to prevent further injuries. Other than being sore for a few days, his prognosis is good and the doctor expects he’ll make a full recovery.

In the days before Afshar Hospital was built, medical treatment wouldn’t have been an option for the man’s injuries. Most likely, his family would have taken care of him at home doing the best they could without bandages, splints or pain-relieving medications.

In another case, children from an orphanage nearly 50 miles away were brought to the hospital seeking medical care. For many of the orphans, it was the first time they’d seen a doctor.

With its focus on child and maternal health, Afshar Hospital is saving children’s lives by providing immunizations, antibiotics and basic medical care that many in Western countries take for granted.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to keep the doors of the Urgent Care Department open and provide the medical supplies that are needed to treat so many patients each day. Visit www.amorelief.org to donate online.

Photo 1: Treatment is given to a group that includes orphans.

Photo 2: A young man who fell off a roof receives treatment.

Women collect fuel for cookfires

2010-05-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Outside the Afshar Hospital in Kabul, women are often seen packing large bundles of shrubs and small pieces of wood that they have found in the nearby foothills back to their homes.

Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of American Medical Overseas Relief, said the women spend a large part of their day at the task so they can get fuel to cook food for their families.

A World Bank executive estimated Afghan women spend up to six hours a day at the practice. She called it unhealthy and said the indoor air pollution it causes can kill and often leads to miscarriages and other illnesses.

Addressing a Panel on Women's Leadership in Afghanistan some years ago, Mieko Nishimizu, vice president, South Asia Region of The World Bank, explained that changing the tradition is at the center of Afghanistan’s reconstruction and redevelopment.

“Clean energy saves lives and health of women,” she said. “It also saves them a huge amount of time – that can be spent to improve the quality of their lives.”

Nishimizu advised that more be done to bring that clean energy – kerosene and propane – into villages. “The development challenge we must confront today lies not in what we do, but in how we think about what we do,” she said.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org.

Afshar Hospital provides crucial services

2010-05-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

Photo: This patient waits to see a doctor at Afshar Hospital. Before the Hospital’s doors opened in April 2009, he probably wouldn’t have been able to see a doctor.

Afshar Hospital: Built by Afghans for Afghans

2010-05-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

Afghanistan is a nation besieged by war.

Years of turmoil have taken a toll on its citizens. You can see that in the face of this Afghan man who lives near the hospital on the outskirts of Kabul.

Building trust in the local community has been a challenges, but Afghans should take comfort in the knowledge that Afshar Hospital is not a U.S. project. AMOR provides funding and medical advice, but all 100-plus employees are Afghan. Even the medical director was born and trained in Afghanistan.

This is an institution for the people of Afghanistan. It is their hospital. Built by Afghans for the people of Afghanistan.

Hospital establishes residency program

2010-04-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Afshar Hospital has established a primary care residency program officials believe is an important step in ensuring quality health care.

The program will train six residents each year in primary care medicine, said Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of American Medical Overseas Relief, which established the hospital. Each doctor is asked for a commitment to spend three years at Afshar and a minimum of another three years in Afghanistan.

“The residency program is patterned after the U.S. model of residency training, and each resident will be well prepared to enter private practice after completion of the rigorous program,” Scoffield said.

Afshar provides room and board and a salary for each resident.

Getting to Afshar Hospital Not Always Easy

2010-04-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

Imagine being so sick you need to go to the hospital. But, your family is poor. You don’t own a car or have enough money for a taxi. You don’t have a phone and even if you did, there’s no such thing as 911 dispatchers to send an ambulance for you.

Thousands of Afghans face this situation each month. It’s not uncommon for women and children to spend most of the day walking to Afshar Hospital. Some patients trek up to 50 miles. That would be challenging for healthy people; it’s unbelievable that sick people must make the trip.

The patients who come to Afshar Hospital, which opened in April 2009, are seeking basic medical care, treatment that we take for granted. Previously, access to medical care wasn’t an option. Families cared for family members as best they could at home. In these circumstances, millions of Afghan people have died of preventable and treatable diseases.

The World Health Organization says health indicators in Afghanistan are the worst in history. About 40% of children in Afghanistan die before age 5 of treatable and preventable childhood illnesses. One in four women die giving birth. Afshar Hospital is making a difference between life and death. We hope you will support our work by making a contribution to American Medical Overseas Relief.

Contributions of any size will be used to provide basic medical care to women like these. Visit our website at www.amorelief.org to donate online today.

Afshar cafeteria offers unusual menu: food

2010-04-23T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hospital cafeterias in the United States may have dubious reputations, but at least visitors, patients and employees can rely on them as a customary source of food.

That concept was unusual in war-torn Afghanistan where food can be as scarce as a sense of safety. Afshar Hospital in Kabul took the unusual step of providing regular meals for employees and patients, but it took almost a year to build confidence among the staff that the service was one they could count on.

Initially, some ate as much as they could and brought extra home to their families as many people in the country don’t know where their next meal will come from.

Afshar cooks persevered, delivering nutritious meals day in and day out.

“The decision to provide meals for employees was made to help the staff with their personal health and nutritional status,” said Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of
American Medical Overseas Relief. “This has proven to be a very positive decision as our staff are now receiving good daily nutrition, and have learned about providing good nutrition for their families.”

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org.
Photo: The kitchen staff prepares one of the daily meals.

Bombed buildings still provide homes

2010-04-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

In war-ravaged Afghanistan, even bombs don’t keep families away.

Desperation rules in Kabul, where an estimated 5 million people live with an infrastructure designed to accommodate 500,000. Even bombed-out buildings become lodging in such severe circumstances.

Kabul’s population has tripled since late 2001, making it perhaps the world’s fastest-growing city in the last eight years, according to Humanitarian Exchange Magazine. With ongoing war, the city has become a case study of urban displacement.

“Many Afghans fled to Kabul and other cities as a means of survival,” authors Charles A. Setchell and Caroline N. Luther write in the December 2009 issue. “The figures speak for themselves: returning refugees, displaced persons and migrants – both economically motivated and forcibly displaced – account for 80% of population growth in Kabul since 2001.”

The destruction could continue. The Taliban in recent months struck in the heart of Kabul, a strike perceived as an attack against the U.S. strategy to secure the urban regions while having the Afghan public turn against the militants.

Afshar Hospital on the rocky outskirts of Kabul offers a sanctuary and hope in this war-torn nation. Others also are working to make life better. FabFi, with the help of a team from MIT, created a 25-node high-speed wireless network in Jalalabad atop battered buildings, using trash.
Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to expand Afshar Hospital’s medical delivery system and create desperately needed jobs for local Afghans. Visit www.amorelief.org to donate online.

Life is a struggle in Afghanistan

2010-04-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

Driving through the streets of Kabul, one is typically overwhelmed with the scenes of life that portray the difficulty in day-to-day living.

This photo of a young boy, with his family in the background, was taken just outside Afshar Hospital. Obviously disease and illness are easily spread due to poor hygiene, lack of sanitation and lack of information about how to care for oneself, said Dr. Mark Scoffield, CEO of American Medical Overseas Relief.

Afshar Hospital is helping to allieviate these three issues in a meaningful way and improve health care in the impoverished country.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to expand Afshar Hospital’s medical delivery system and create desperately needed jobs for local Afghans. Visit www.amorelief.org to donate online.

Delivering healthcare beyond the burqa

2010-04-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Afghan burqas cover a woman completely, making it impossible to gauge her age or appearance.

Despite the fall of the Taliban and the end of baton-wielding religious police, Afghan women still cling to their burqas. Some believe burqas provide women with a sense of security in dangerous times. The all-encompassing covering allows women to hide from embarrassing or shameful activities like begging for bread or performing menial work. It also protects women from unwanted attention from men who see women without burqas as fair game for male overtures.

Burqas and family tradition present special challenges when it comes to medical care. In traditional Afghan families, the mother-in-law often decides whether a pregnant daughter-in-law will seek medical care. The mother-in-law may not want her daughters-in-law or her daughters to seek medical care due to complex social and family issues that are represented by the burqa.

To remove a burqa in public simply may not be possible because of the tone and social customs of the family. Tradition also dictates that “because my children were born at home, it is expected that all related children will be born at home”.

Afshar Hospital in Kabul is working to educate mothers-in-law about the importance of prenatal care and delivering in a hospital. Good prenatal care reduces the risks of death for babies with low birth weights. Delivering in a hospital is safer for mothers and babies.

The use of sanitary practices during delivery reduces the risk of infection for mother and baby. Doctors and nurses know how to help babies start breathing and how to treat complications that can be fatal for mothers and babies after birth.

Public health education that leads to behavioral change is a slow process in any country. The United States has high literacy rates, an extensive public school system, free libraries and many news sources and media outlets.

However, even in the United States, it took more than 50 years to educate the public about the risks of smoking and embrace public policy changes like bans on smoking in public buildings.

In Afghanistan, illiteracy rates are high. Schools are slowly being rebuilt but girls don’t traditionally go to school in Afghanistan. This attitude is slowly changing but girls still face many obstacles when it comes to getting an education.

Contributions to American Medical Overseas Relief will be used to continue efforts to develop an efficient medical delivery system and improve the quality of care that patients receive. More information can be found and donations made at www.amorelief.org.

Ambulance aids Afshar Hospital efforts

2010-04-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

An ambulance is often first on the scene when someone in the United States calls 911.

But Afghanistan doesn’t have an emergency-medical system. There is no 911. There are few physical addresses and no telephone landlines. Roads are bumpy, if they exist at all, and most people walk to the hospital for treatment.

Thus, Afshar Hospital’s new ambulance -- equipped to handle all types of emergencies – is a critical addition in this hardscrabble country. The vehicle, provided by a generous supporter of AMOR, is available in an emergency, but fills other needs too, often transporting patients from one medical facility to another, or helping in another health-related function.