The Need for Diabetic Care in Afghanistan: Moqadas’s Story

On 30 March, EMERGENCY and CRIMEDIM released the report Access to Care in Afghanistan. While certain conditions like geographic mobility have improved in the country as fighting has subsided, many barriers remain to accessing care – especially for children like 12-year-old Moqadas, who has Type 1 Diabetes.

Last year, Moqadas was admitted to our Anabah Surgical and Paediatric Centre with pneumonia and other medical complications. It took 20 days in our care to control her infections and lower her fever. At home, Moqadas’s condition is poorly managed; insulin is not widely available in Afghanistan, and her family is struggling to pay for her prescriptions.

In Afghanistan, treatments for non-communicable diseases like diabetes are often only offered at private facilities that require out-of-pocket payments. Moqadas’s family brought her to EMERGENCY’s Anabah facility because we provide free, high-quality care, reducing the burden that healthcare costs can place on families.

10 days after we discharged Moqadas, she returned to our hospital with severe side pain due to kidney stones. We are working hard to help her recover, providing all the medications and care that she needs.

Capacity-building aid and investment from the international community is crucial for children like Moqadas to be able to have safe, healthy futures.

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