The Capacity Building and Access to Medicines (CBAM) project supports the Government of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to provide Afghans with the priority medicines and medical supplies they need, with specific emphasis on women and children.

CIDA funding will support Health Partners International of Canada to:

• Deliver $25 million worth of essential medicines and medical supplies from Canadian pharmaceutical companies to Afghans.
• Improve the coordination of pharmaceutical donations at a national level.
• Improve the ability of the MoPH Central Medical Warehouse to manage the handling and distribution of medicines and supplies.
• Improve the ability of the MoPH Quality Control Laboratory to ensure that medicines made available to the Afghan population are of high quality.
• Identify development opportunities for the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in Afghanistan.

Some significant project results to-date are:

• More than $600,000 worth of donated items provided to assist the Government of Afghanistan in its response to the H1N1 flu. These items include antibiotics and disinfectants for use in public hospitals.
• The creation of partnerships with the MoPH, the United Nations and non-government organizations that currently support the pharmaceutical sector in Afghanistan.
• Completion of an assessment of the MoPH Central Medical Warehouse by observing the flow of medicines and supplies, and identifying areas of improvement in supply chain management.

• Health Partners International Canada
• Ministry of Public Health Afghanistan