A number of residents of Badakhshan have expressed serious concern over the poor state of health service delivery in the province. They say that for about a year, an organization called the “Sanayee Development Organization” (SDO) has been responsible for providing health services in the province, but has failed to properly carry out its responsibilities. At the same time, sources have raised concerns about the misuse of resources and the organization’s ties with the Taliban in Badakhshan. They accuse the organization’s director and some of its members of abuse of authority, saying that the head of Taliban public health supports the organization because it has rented three of his vehicles. Credible sources allege that the director and some of his close associates have sexually exploited the vulnerable situation of several health workers.
These Badakhshan residents are concerned about the decline in health service delivery and the lack of necessary facilities at health centers in the province, saying that the Sanayee Development Organization (SDO) is not giving due attention to its responsibilities. They add that the organization’s leadership members are preoccupied with abusing their positions and authority, and that there is no body to hold them accountable for these matters.
At the same time, sources have complained about the abuse of authority and resources by Humayun Abed, the director of the Sanayee Development Organization. These sources accuse him of sexual abuse and say that because of his ties to Kandahar, there is no one to hold him accountable for failing to fulfill his promises in the health sector.
According to the sources’ allegations, Humayun Abed is accused of harassing health workers and has also made sexual demands of some staff. Due to the need to protect the sources’ safety, this report withholds further details on this matter.
Sources in Faizabad allege that the father-in-law of the organization’s director, which implements health services, was also arrested some time ago by Taliban intelligence and the Morality Police on charges of sexual abuse, but was released after ten days in Taliban custody and returned to his post. According to the sources, following this, the organization’s provincial office was also closed for a time by Taliban intelligence.
These health sources are calling on the Taliban regime to seriously and comprehensively investigate this matter and not allow the people to endure further suffering and hardship.
Sources state that Jabir, the organization’s provincial official, is also involved in corruption and exploiting the vulnerabilities of employees, is not accountable to anyone, and continues his coercive behavior. Sources also accuse him of sexual abuse and say that he exploits the vulnerable circumstances of certain individuals in this regard.
According to sources, the head of Taliban public health in Badakhshan is a local mullah from the province who holds little authority relative to the Kandahari Taliban, and supports the organization’s operations to secure his own position and that of those close to him. According to them, this situation has caused the delivery of health services in Badakhshan to come close to a complete halt.
Sources say that an individual named Qari Atiq, the head of Taliban public health in Badakhshan, takes actions to preserve his position that, according to them, run contrary to the values of the province’s people. According to the sources’ allegations, he supports Humayun Abed and the organization because he has rented out three of his vehicles to it and because some of his close associates have been hired by the organization.
Meanwhile, credible sources confirm that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is one of the organization’s funders. According to the sources’ allegations, an individual named Dr. Zahir Fazel, the UNICEF official in Badakhshan, has appointed his son-in-law as the executive director of the organization implementing health services. According to sources, for this reason he provides inaccurate reports to UNICEF’s central office and portrays the Sanayee Development Organization’s flawed performance in a positive light.
Meanwhile, some health workers in the province who resigned from their positions due to the organization’s negligence and failure to provide necessary facilities criticized the performance of the SDO’s director, saying they resigned because of the improper and inappropriate treatment by the organization’s officials, and that there was no authority to hear their complaints.
This comes as Badakhshan residents had previously expressed concern that health service delivery in the province had come close to a complete halt, and that the Badakhshan provincial hospital was on the verge of collapse. According to them, some implementing organizations are seeking to increase expenses and draw more from the budget, resulting in a decline in both the quality of services and the pace of work.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
اتهام سوءاستفاده و فساد؛ آیا خدمات صحی در بدخشان در آستانه فلجشدن است؟
