Email this page
Print Friendly
Santa Monica, CA –An International Medical Corps clinic in the southern Paktika Province was burned to the ground on June 28, with reports indicating the fire was started by suspected Taliban insurgents. Although no one was injured, all of IMC’s medical equipment was destroyed in the fire.
IMC’s Janatkhil clinic, also in the same district, was burned down on April 12, 2006. This incident comes in the wake of discussions between IMC and the Ministry of Health to reopen the Janatkhil clinic in August in order to meet the health needs of people in the community.
The security situation in Paktika and other southern provinces has deteriorated due to ongoing counter-insurgent operations in the border region. There is speculation that violence will continue to increase.
IMC's extensive medical assistance and training programs in Afghanistan reflect its long-standing commitment to helping Afghan civilians. Afghanistan has been central to IMC's humanitarian efforts since the organization’s founding in 1984, when volunteer American doctors first traveled to the country in response to the dire needs of Afghan civilians suffering under the Soviet invasion.
IMC has provided medical assistance, health care training and relief and development programs to the Afghan people for more than 20 years. Currently, IMC offers equitable and cost-effective basic primary health care services to millions of people. IMC also provides refresher training courses for Afghan health care providers. Training programs are wide-ranging, including OB/GYN, HIV/AIDS, integrated management of childhood diseases, reproductive health, infectious diseases and infection prevention. In 2005, IMC supported 36 clinics and five IMC-run health facilities. A network of approximately 400 community health workers provided primary health care, health education and referrals to the clinics.
International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, IMC is a private, voluntary, apolitical, non-sectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved areas worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, IMC rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.
###
