Three weeks ago, a four-year-old girl whose head scans revealed a brain tumor was taken into the operating room of a private hospital in Kabul. Despite her critical condition, she fought for her life for ten hours.
Hadisa’s father, Hikmatullah, sat exhausted in the waiting area. His daughter’s diagnosis had brought him all the way from Kunduz to Kabul, a diagnosis that filled him with despair when he was told, “Your child cannot be treated in this country; you must go to Pakistan.”
But with border crossings closed, taking his child abroad for treatment seemed impossible. Amid the conversation, a hopeful smile appeared on Hikmatullah’s face.
Hikmatullah, Hadisa’s father, told TOLOnews: “At first, when they explained the risks of the operation, I didn’t want to accept it. But later I realized there was no other choice, so I agreed. I accepted all the risks, and thankfully, the operation was successful.”
Hadisa, now back to life, smiles with joy from her hospital bed as she speaks softly about her little world upon seeing her surgeon again.
Najibullah Sekandar, a neurosurgeon with 23 years of experience, successfully performed this high-risk brain tumor surgery, the first of its kind in Afghanistan.
Najibullah Sekandar said: “Neurosurgery and brain tumor operations are among the most complex and major procedures. Thankfully, we are now performing such surgeries here in Afghanistan. I want to tell the people that they no longer need to go abroad for neurosurgical operations, these treatments are now available inside the country.”
Dr. Sekandar described this success as a sign of the capability and competence of Afghan doctors. He called for greater support and investment in the country’s healthcare sector.
He added: “The government should provide land so that standard hospitals can be built and should cooperate through short- and long-term loan programs.”
Sultan Masoud Farahmand, another doctor, said: “Our people must trust their own doctors. We have significant capacity in this country, and many of our patients’ problems can now be treated here.”
Hadisa’s recovery in Afghanistan comes at a time when many citizens continue to seek medical treatment for their patients in neighboring and regional countries. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health has repeatedly emphasized the need to build public trust in the national healthcare sector.
