National Hygiene Improvement Strategy 2017-2020.

The National Hygiene Improvement Strategy is a national Policy aimed at increasing environmental hygiene and cleanliness in order to improve public health in the country. The time frame of the Policy is between 2017 to 2020. The ultimate goal of the Policy is that Afghanistan becomes a country free from diseases related to water, hygiene, and cleanliness. The Policy has been drafted based on the principles of the National Health Strategy 2016-2020 to reduce preventable deaths, diseases, and disabilities through harmonization of public health.
The main objectives of the Policy include: to increase commitment of national, domestic, and local authorities for corporation improvement; to hold educational programmes for improvement of environment cleanliness and hygiene; to increase knowledge and improve the water use methods; to increase public awareness to prevent defecation in open field; to increase awareness on hygiene and cleanliness methods; to improve women’s menstrual hygiene; to improve food safety; to improve environmental health and cleanliness; to increase students’ knowledge on hygiene methods and open-field defecation; to increase personal hygiene; to dispose medical waste safety. Achievement of these objectives requires negotiations with qualified authorities for making new policies, changing existing legislation and regulations, increasing public awareness, and increases in the budget. Making fundamental changes in people behavior requires the cooperation of traditional and religious leaders, communities, social networks, civil institutions, teachers, and social development councils.
The research shows that in 2014 only 65% of Afghans have access to safe drinking water and only 39% to other development facilities. The Policy asks for better cooperation of various actors in water, sanitation, and hygiene field. The Ministry of Public Health is the authority responsible to ensure the compliance of this Policy and harmonize the activities of all relevant sectors. The Ministry shall determine the water quality control standards and ensure the cleanliness of the medical environment. The Policy provides strategies and guidelines in the following main categories: drinking water; health; food safety; menstrual care. The Policy’s educational program is based on learning by doing methods.