At a meeting in Kabul on Sunday organized with the support of USAID, the Afghan Minister of Public Health (MoPH) looked to recruit private sector investment into hospitals, something Afghanistan severely lacks in quantity and quality.
As part of the fundraising push, Public Health Minister Suraia Dali rolled-out plans to open three new hospitals: the 200-bed Jamhoryat Hospital, the 100-bed Shikh Zahid women and children's hospital, and finally, the 200-bed Jenah Hospital.
The Public Health Minister said that in Afghanistan per capita medical service expenses in 2013 were an average of 42 USD, of which 73 percent comes from personal expenses.
The development contracts for the new hospitals have yet to be made, and the bidding process for them is expected to start soon, according to Dali.
"We believe that neither the public sector nor the private sector alone is able to address all of Afghanistan's health needs, but the public and private sectors working together and sharing sources and opportunities closely can help people get better health services," Minister Dali said.
Meanwhile, officials of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) also emphasized the importance of the private sector's involvement in the health industry in Afghanistan.
"I call on the private sector to choose one hospital among these hospital and make it a successful project," ACCI head Mohammad Qurban Haqjo said.