The health needs of the Afghanistan population are provided mainly be the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), with international support. The Afghan Red Cross Society (ARCS) also manages many health clinics to complement the MoPH effort, and 46 of their Basic Health Care (BHC) centres are supported by the ICRC. 

Every year, these clinics provide access to common disease prevention and treatment to a million people, primarily focusing on women and children in rural areas. This has not only helped save lives but also relieved the pressure on the already overburdened secondary health-care system.

Hasina, a resident of Kandahar province, recently brought her four-year-old son, Khalid Ahmad, to the Basic Healthcare Centre to treat his sore throat.