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U.S. Health Initiatives in Afghanistan

Date: Friday, January 8, 2010 / Time: 8:30am - 10:30am 

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A panel of experts considered the goals and objectives of health programs in Afghanistan, what expectations can be for health programs in achieving those goals, and the roles of civilian agencies and the military in carrying out health programs. The panelists addressed current controversies about health programs in areas of armed conflict, including the military’s role in health programs for civilian populations as well as the role of USAID in supporting military objectives.

What are goals for and implications of U.S. health initiatives in Afghanistan: To address health needs of a suffering population, for state capacity building, to support counterinsurgency?

The people of Afghanistan endure the highest levels of infant, child and maternal mortality in the world. During the past five years, USAID has joined other donors to support a program by the Ministry of Public Health to increase access to primary care services throughout the country that has succeeded in reducing infant and child mortality. At the same time, the U.S. military and provincial reconstruction teams have engaged in health initiatives. There is now increasing discussion of using health programs, including USAID funding, more explicitly as part of counterinsurgency strategy.

This meeting of the working group considered the goals and objectives of health programs in Afghanistan, what expectations can be for health programs in achieving those goals, and the roles of civilian agencies and the military in carrying out health programs. The panelists also addressed current controversies about health programs in areas of armed conflict, including the military’s role in health programs for civilian populations as well as the role of USAID in supporting military objectives.

Speakers

  • Warner Anderson, MD, FACP
    Director, International Health, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs
  • Sepideh Keyvanshad, JD
    Senior Development Adviser to the
    Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
  • William Newbrander, MHA, Ph.D.
    Senior Technical Officer, Management Sciences for Health
    Senior Adviser to the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan
  • E. Anne Peterson, MD, MPH
    Research Professor, Center for Global Health, George Washington University
    Former Assistant Administrator for Global Health of USAID
  • Leonard Rubenstein, JD, LLM, Moderator
    Director, Health and Peacebuilding Working Group, U.S. Institute of Peace

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