School Helps Strengthen Nursing Programmes in Afghanistan

Decades of destruction reduced much of the infrastructure in Afghanistan to little more than rubble and the health sector was no exception. Facilities had been left destroyed or degraded, the few teachers still in the country were professionally isolated and limited in both qualification and clinical experience, the curriculum was outdated and the availability of teaching aids was close to non-existent. The result: a degraded educational system that produced low-quality health care professionals.

In the last few years, however, the war-ravaged country has seen measured gains in personal and social development. At the invitation of the Afghan government, Aga Khan University School of Nursing (AKU-SON) has been assisting in strengthening and implementing programmes at the Institute of Health Sciences (IHS) Project in Kabul, a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health, Government of Afghanistan, World Health Organization and AKU working under the aegis of AKDN. Initiated in 2002, the Project’s stated aim is to “support the development of Afghanistan’s human resources in the health sector, especially nurses, midwives and health personnel,” through technical assistance and capacity building.

Due to the concerted efforts of the collaborating institutions, significant headway has been made in less than three years. Science, skills and computer labs have been refurbished and brought up to date, while the new Educational Development Centre is equipped with audio-visual and other modern learning and teaching aids.

AKU-SON’s capacity building measures at IHS, Kabul, are geared towards learning methodology, knowledge upgradation and clinical skills training for both faculty and students. Nursing and midwifery students, for instance, can avail of the opportunity to hone clinical skills prior to interventions on patients by working on models in a renovated learning lab. In the area of technical assistance, the School has played an important role in revising the nursing and midwifery curricula and translating reference material into the local Dari language. The revised curricula, now established as the national curricula in Afghanistan, are expected to be introduced in regional Institutes in Herat, Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif and Kunduz in 2005.

To encourage enrolment of female students from rural areas, AKDN has meanwhile facilitated the process of securing land for a women’s hostel in the vicinity of IHS, Kabul. With financial assistance from the US Embassy, construction work is expected to start soon.

“The IHS Project has already had an impact,” says Dr Yasmin Amarsi, Dean, AKU-SON. “Both students and teachers are now exposed to up-to-date methodology and skills, and as a result they feel confident in their ability. Enrolment of women is on the rise and they feel empowered by the equal-opportunity culture at the Institute,” adds Dr Amarsi. “Between 2002 and 2004, a total of 44 midwives graduated from IHS and another 145 will receive certification in March 2005. The Project is serving to strengthen the nursing and midwifery professions and to enhance the quality of health care in Afghanistan. These initiatives should in turn go a long way towards improving the quality of life of the people of Afghanistan.”