AFP
April 8th, 2006
Afghanistan's most sophisticated children's hospital was formally opened in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan (complete left), President Hamid Karzai (2nd from left) and Bernadette Chirac (right), wife of French President Jacques Chirac.(AFP/Shah Marai)
The eight-million-euro (9.67-million-dollar) French Medical Institute for the Child brings cutting-edge expertise and equipment to one of the world's poorest countries, still battling to recover from 25 years of war.
"We are pleased today to see Afghan children treated in their own country," Karzai said at the ceremony on Saturday.
Afghans frequently travel to neighbouring Pakistan and Iran for treatment because of the inadequacy of the country's own health system.
The hospital "is a symbol of the reconstruction of your country", said Chirac.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy and his Afghan counterpart Abdullah Abdullah also attended the ceremony.
The institute on Monday performed the country's first open heart surgery, on a 13-year-old girl.
It was set up by French nongovernment organisation "Enfants Afghans" (Afghan Children) and the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaeli sect, has stepped in to cover the running costs, estimated to reach three million dollars this year.
The Aga Khan told the ceremony that Afghanistan faced difficult health challenges. One in four children died before the age of five while 165,000 out of one million died in the month after birth, he said.
The Aga Khan told the ceremony that Afghanistan faced difficult health challenges. One in four children died before the age of five while 165,000 out of one million died in the month after birth, he said.