Noor Jalal Jalali, the Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, emphasized the need to bridge the gap between Kabul and New Delhi during a press conference in India. He spoke of expanding pharmaceutical ties between the two countries, highlighting the affordability and quality of Indian-imported medicines in Afghanistan.
Jalali also pointed to the challenges Afghans face in obtaining Indian visas and the high costs of medical treatment there. He urged Indian authorities to capitalize on current opportunities in Afghanistan by investing in the pharmaceutical sector and establishing a hospital in the country.
The Minister of Public Health said: “As you mention having several hospitals outside your country, let Afghanistan be one of those foreign countries—build a hospital there.”
In addition to discussing the expansion of traditional medicine and the approval of plans to establish a related institute, the minister noted that although Afghanistan has a population of over 45 million, 90 to 95 percent of citizens cannot afford proper medical treatment domestically.
“The people of Afghanistan are very poor and oppressed. Ninety to ninety-five percent cannot afford to treat their illnesses. First and foremost, their treatment falls to the public sector; if they are not treated there, they suffer and perish,” Noor Jalal Jalali added.
Doctors also emphasized the importance of importing high-quality medications for timely treatment and building trust between citizens and the healthcare system.
Madad Khan Danishwar, a doctor, told TOLOnews: “If we receive medicine officially, and they produce high-quality drugs, and we purchase them from reputable Indian companies, this can meet the needs of our people. The availability of quality medicines in the market is a key factor in treating patients.”
Tensions between Kabul and Islamabad and the closure of trade routes led Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, to instruct the Ministry of Finance on November 12 of this year to halt medicine imports from Pakistan after three months and to stop taxing them. This move opened new opportunities for other countries to increase their medicine exports to Afghanistan and prompted Noor Jalal Jalali’s visit to India last Tuesday to meet with Indian officials and discuss these matters.
