On June 16th, AfD’s first shipment of medicine donated from Swiss pharmaceutical companies was delivered to the Comprehensive Health Center in Kabul. The shipment comprised approximately 4,800 boxes of medication, mainly antibiotics, cardiovascular drugs, oral contraceptives and antidepressants, and will benefit 4,300 patients over the coming six months.

The shipment was made possible thanks to generous donations by two Swiss pharmaceutical laboratories, Mepha AG and Spirig HealthCare. AfD hopes to develop a lasting partnership with these companies and to create ties with other pharmaceutical laboratories to ensure better procurement of medication in the future. Access to medicine at the CHC has been a concern in the past.

The delivered medication had left Geneva on April 14th and had to pass through clearance by Afghan authorities. All medication delivered is on the list of Essential Medicines for Afghanistan compiled by the World Health Organization and by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, and they are known to Afghan health professionals.