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To the Editor: The Commentary by Drs Loevinsohn and Sayed¹ on the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the rebuilding of Afghanistan's health sector provided an overview of an international, coordinated response to a chronic humanitarian crisis. However, it did not mention the role of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and its member military organizations in those capacity-building efforts.

Afghanistan represents a complex emergency, a situation characterized by a humanitarian crisis in a militarized failed state. As attested to in the 2006 United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination Handbook² and the 2005 US Agency for International Development Field Operations Guide,³ security is of paramount concern in rendering effective, sustainable assistance. In Afghanistan, the ISAF and the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) are helping provide the physical security necessary for NGOs to conduct their work.

In addition, ISAF member militaries are involved in medical capacity building and are likely to . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Aaron Saguil, MD, MPH
aaron.saguil@us.army.mil
NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit
Kandahar Air Field
Afghanistan

Ed Farnell, MD
Camp Eggers Medical Clinic
Camp Eggers
Kabul, Afghanistan

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RELATED ARTICLE

Lessons From the Health Sector in Afghanistan: How Progress Can Be Made in Challenging Circumstances
Benjamin Loevinsohn and Ghulam Dastagir Sayed
JAMA. 2008;300(6):724-726.
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