An occupational health services initiative at a women's hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan.
This article describes the process of developing targeted occupational health services for the health care workers in a women's hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, as part of a larger project to establish an obstetrics and gynecology residency training program at the facility. The goal was to create a feasible and sustainable program to: (1) address basic health care needs impacting the ability of these Afghan health care workers to optimize learning opportunities; (2) decrease absenteeism due to illness; (3) decrease the likelihood of infectious disease transmission among staff, from staff to patients, and from patients to staff; (4) foster belief that a healthy and safe working environment is a basic right; (5) begin to collect preliminary health status indicators on health care workers in this employee population; and (6) serve as an adaptable program to expand to other Afghan health care workers.
Kitt
Margaret M
MM
Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morgantown, WV, USA. ajy8@cdc.gov
Khalid
Gulmakai
G
Rahimi
Shakira
S
McCarthy
Brian J
BJ
D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000346:Afghanistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009775:Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016272:Occupational Health; D016730:Program Development; D016387:Women's Health