MSH has worked in Afghanistan for more than 40 years, beginning with a USAID-funded program to strengthen the ministry of public health and support the expansion of health services in 1973.

After the Soviet invasion of the country in 1979, MSH started to provide training, support, and monitoring for more than 300 health facilities across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. After the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, MSH worked with Afghanistan's health authorities to rebuild its health system and put in place basic service delivery mechanisms, including a Basic Package of Health Services and Essential Package of Hospital Services aimed especially at reducing maternal and child mortality.

These packages have contributed to an improvement in child and maternal health in the last 15 years, and today, more than 100 MSH staff members in Afghanistan continue to work to strengthen the country's health system. MSH has addressed areas including tuberculosis, family planning and reproductive health, child health, supply chain management, and leadership, management, and governance development. 

MSH has helped provide essential drugs to 8 million Afghans living in rural areas. We have established a community-based health care system with 23,000 community health volunteers.