Indian firms invest in Afghanistan healthcare; contract worth $6.5 million signed

Kabul, March 20: Three Indian health bodies have entered agreement with an Afghan health firm at Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health to facilitate quality healthcare across the country, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a statement on Sunday, March 17.

According to a report in Afghanistan's TOLO News, the contracts worth $6.5 million aim to set up a fully equipped diagnostic centre, an advanced dialysis centre and a manufacturing plant for the production of pharmaceuticals in the Afghan capital.

These agreements have grown over the initial talks in the USAID-sponsored Passage to Prosperity: India-Afghanistan Trade and Investment Show held last year.

The quality of secondary and tertiary healthcare is yet to improve in Afghanistan despite an overall progress in the sector and as a result, several Afghans go for medical treatment abroad.

The Afghan government is thus encouraging regional and international investment to better healthcare facilities in the country.

Ferozuddin Feroz, Minister of Public Health, praised the Indian investment, saying: "The private health sector is an integral part of Afghanistan's health system and plays a crucial role in meeting the demands of Afghans for healthcare. The partnerships between the Afghan health businesses and Indian organizations that we witness today will help fill the gap in service delivery in the country."

He also invited other international bodies to invest in the areas in Afghanistan that are in need.