Letter
Public response
Important criterion
D+C/E+Z 2014/01, p. 17 f., Andreas Wulf: "Systemic failure"
The author correctly points out that health-care services must be marked by universal presence, accessibility and affordability. I’d like to add another criterion: sustainability. I have been working as a CIM expert in Afghanistan’s Ministry for Higher Education for four years, specialising in administrative health issues. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health gets a lot of support from donors. As soon as that money stops flowing, however, many health services will discontinue their work. Many patients, especially poor people, will no longer have access to treatment. A large number of nations and organisations have been active in Afghanistan in the past 12 years, and they have spent millions on health care. Unfortunately, there is no concept for making essential services that depend on donor funding viable in the long run.
Dr. Yahya Wardak, Kabul
Editor’s note: CIM stands for Centre for International Migration and Development. This Frankfurt-based agency seconds experts to institutions and companies in developing countries.
