One of the primary activities of the Bayat Foundation is expanding health care in Afghanistan for women and children. Afghanistan struggles with one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. About 25 percent of children born in the country will die before reaching the age of five. More than half of these deaths result from treatable infections, which makes them particularly tragic. To expand access to health care among mothers and their children, the Bayat Foundation has funded a number of hospital projects throughout the country.
One of the foundation’s major accomplishments was the opening of the children’s intensive care and cardiac care units at Indira Gandhi Hospital in Kabul. These wards contain a number of technologies that are new to Afghanistan, including oxygen and medical vacuum systems, which aid in patient recovery. The units also have modern monitoring systems to immediately alert doctors and nurses of complications. In addition, special storage facilities allow medical professionals to keep equipment sterile.
At Rabea Balkhi Hospital, the Bayat Foundation funded the reconstruction of a surgical maternity ward. The foundation also covered the cost of medications, a new oxygen system, and surgical tools, as well as several recovery beds for use in the maternity unit.
In Wardak Province, the foundation funded a new maternity hospital in Hessa Dowom. This underserved and largely rural part of the country has a desperate need for quality maternity care. The new facility, Bibi Khairi Gul Hospital, boasts a complete electrical system and rooms for surgical procedures, child delivery, and post-operative recovery.
In addition, the Bayat Foundation provided for the construction of a 30-bed maternity hospital in Wardak Province’s Tagaab Village, which is also located in a rural, largely undeveloped area. Named Shirin Taj Hospital, the facility meets a vital need in the community for quality medical attention during the critical days after childbirth.
Altogether, the Bayat Foundation’s medical facilities have served hundreds of thousands of patients, and the organization looks forward to watching this number grow.