Sina Afghanistan is a major actor in the health and education sectors in Afghanistan, and has forged a strong partnership with the government sector in Afghanistan, supporting the government’s mandate and work plans in different ways. An active member organization in national health taskforces, IbnSina has contributed directly to the drafting of national health policies and strategies that ensure basic health care for all Afghans. Besides providing primary basic health care in rural settings, for over three years, the organization implemented model emergency health care projects in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, to help earthquake affected populations in remote mountain villages.
IbnSina Afghanistan has also had the distinctive privilege of being the only Afghan NGO to be elected trustee of the Asian Development Bank, and supported health care projects implemented by Agha Khan Development Network and Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance) in Badakhshan and Ghor provinces in Afghanistan, managing a total budget of USD 2.9 million.
| IbnSina activities over 3 milion people |
Until recently IbnSina was primarily a health NGO, but the past couple of years have witnessed a shift in the organization’s focus, with more emphasis now being laid on its education and professional training programs. This is because IbnSina Afghanistan strongly believes that integrated development in all social sectors, most importantly in the professional development, education, and capacity building sectors, is vital for improvement of overall health status.
The Educator
IbnSina operates private sector not-for-profit schools in four provinces, as well as community midwife education schools and community education resource centers in different provinces of Afghanistan. It has established two quality institutions of higher education in Kabul, which bring professional and academic development within the reach of educated Afghans. The IbnSina Institute of Public Health and Management Sciences (IPHMS) has even taken training courses to Tajikistan, India, and Pakistan, and has earned a prestigious mention of its name for the quality of the training it offers. In 2009, IbnSina founded its second institute – the Islamic Institute of Management Sciences, which offers undergraduate degree and diploma courses in management-related disciplines, from the unique perspective of Islam.
The pioneer
IbnSina was the first in the country to introduce telemedicine cardiac services in Afghanistan, initiating a pilot program at its Main Office in Kabul that links with the Narayana Cardiac Institute in Bangalore India. Through the Telemedicine link, IbnSina facilitated the free surgical treatment of 11 Afghan blue babies, at the Narayana Cardiac Institute in India.
It is the first non-governmental agency to convene annual Public Health Conferences in Afghanistan in partnership with the Afghan Public Health Institute (APHI).
IbnSina Afghanistan founded the first ever Public Health Association in the country, and had it duly registered with the Ministry of Justice.
The IbnSina IPHMS is the first higher education Institute in the country to offer an MPH program in Afghanistan.
The first and only Afghan NGO to go international, IbnSina has country offices in Pakistan and Tajikistan, where it has implemented a range of health and training projects.
