In 2002, after 23 years of war, Afghanistan faced some of the worst health statistics ever recorded worldwide. The infant mortality rate stood at 165 deaths per 1000 live births, maternal mortality at 1,600 deaths for every 100,000 live births. Over 25% of Afghan children were dying before their fifth birthday.

REACH helped the Afghan Ministry of Public Health determine priorities and identify the health services crucial to addressing the nation's greatest health problems. The result: the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS). BPHS includes maternal and newborn care, family planning, child health and immunization, and management of communicable diseases, including TB, malaria and HIV. Mental health and disability services were added in 2005.

The core of service delivery in all primary health care facilities, the BPHS is the foundation of the new Afghan health system. In 2002, nearly 60 percent of the Afghan population lacked access to any form of health services. Today, 77 percent of the Afghan population have access to the BPHS.

REACH plays a major role in helping to make BPHS available to all Afghans, especially those living in remote and underserved areas:

• REACH has awarded 62 USAID-funded grants and subcontracts totalling $68 million to 25 Afghan and international NGOs to deliver BPHS and train health workers in 13 priority provinces and one district in Ghor province.
• REACH grantees run 326 health facilities in Afghanistan, including 15 district hospitals and 5 provincial hospitals.
• REACH NGO grantees have expanded the access to BPHS in areas with an overall population of 7.3 million people. This population includes 1.5 million women of reproductive age and 1 million children under five.
• Through REACH, NGO grantees are receiving $8 million in essential pharmaceuticals; as of January 2006, drugs valued at $5.3 million have been distributed in Afghanistan.
• USAID-funded REACH grants supporting the training of Afghan community health workers and midwives have thus far produced 5855 active community health workers and 337 midwives.
• REACH helps to oversee site assessment in 33 Afghan provinces to identify and select health facilities to be refurbished. REACH also assists the Afghanistan MOPH in matching new clinic construction sites with service providers, equipment and other inputs required for operational clinics.
• REACH provides on-going technical assistance to REACH NGO grantees to strengthen and expand their delivery of quality health care services in Afghanistan.