Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 9 June 2024 -  The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) – mandated by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to facilitate the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF) - has announced an agreement with Educast (Pvt) Ltd for enhancement of telemedicine capabilities across Afghanistan.

This initiative, funded by the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF) - facilitated by the Islamic Development Bank – is a contribution by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) and marks the launch of Phase Il of the Telehealth Education and Clinical Support Facilities Expansion Project.

The project builds upon the success and implementation of its first phase funded by IsDB and expands the pilot from 6 locations to an additional 14 locations with the aim to develop the capacity of the selected hospitals and medical centers towards providing quality health services in an inclusive cost-efficient and sustainable manner. The pilot intervention has successfully introduced telehealth in six key regional hospitals: Kabul, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Zabul, Mazar, and Khost. It provided critical medical assistance to thousands, highlighting the power of telemedicine to overcome resource and geopolitical challenges.

Phase II aims to dramatically expand telehealth services, reaching 14 additional provinces and bringing modern medical care to millions more. Key objectives include:

• Extending telehealth services to 14 new provinces.
• Training 3,500 local doctors, leveraging the expertise of doctors trained in Phase I.
• Equipping teaching hospitals in each new provincial capital.
• Advanced training and support for Afghan doctors in targeted locations.
• Sessions with overseas experts to support daily clinical work and consultations.
• Ensuring smooth execution and management.

With a grant funding from AHTF amounting to US$300,000 complemented by US$50,000 from Educast, the following activities will be carried out:

• Developing an online education portal.
• Creating high-quality medical content in Dari and Pashto.
• Establishing telehealth equipment at 14 locations.
• Supporting operations at 14 locations for 12 months.
• Engaging 12 international specialists and trainers.

The expanded telehealth services will cover 14 new provinces, benefiting an additional 11.753 million people:

• Lashkar Gah (Helmand)
• Parwan (Charikar)
• Laghman (Mihtarlam)
• Kunar (Asadabad)
• Ghor (Chaghcharan)
• Kunduz (Kunduz)
• Faryab (Maymana)
• Takhar (Taloqan)
• Baghlan (Puli Khumri)
• Sar-e Pol (Sar-e Pol)
• Badakhshan (Fayzabad)
• Jowzjan (Sheberghan)
• Ghazni (Ghazni)
• Paktika (Sharana)

Phase II is a significant step forward, utilizing technology to raise healthcare standards in Afghanistan. This initiative ensures that patients receive top-notch medical care, regardless of their location.

The Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund and Educast (Pvt) Ltd are dedicated to enhancing healthcare quality and empowering Afghan doctors through this groundbreaking telehealth project.

With thanks to the generous contributions of our partners – the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's exceptional contribution, King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, through the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF)- facilitated by The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) - the Project is being implemented by Educast (pvt)Ltd.