Afghan Officials Say Emergency Hospital to Be Built in West

Excerpt from report by Afghan female-orientated community Radio Sahar on 7 February

[Presenter] An emergency health team from Kabul came to Herat Province today. According to provincial health officials, the team is to help the doctors in this province treat patients in the remote areas. Hami Azad is reporting:

[Correspondent] A 150-bed emergency hospital is to be built in Herat Province to treat the patients with critical conditions. Dr Gholam Saeed Rashed, head of the Herat Health Department, says the Afghan Health Ministry has dispatched eight doctors with some medication to join hands with the local doctors here and treat patients. It is said that the medications allocated so far are sufficient for treating 10,000 patients. [Passage omitted: official's remarks, repetition]

Officials at the Herat Health Department say that they have already provided medical services for more than 9,600 patients in 138 villages.

There were growing concerns over spread of diseases when more than 240 died of extreme cold and related diseases in Herat Province.

The officials are trying to prevent from more casualties by increasing the number of health teams and medications.

Originally published by Independent Sahar Radio, Herat, in Dari 1230 7 Feb 08.

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