[The situation of anesthesia in Afghanistan]

As a medical co-ordinator of the International Red Cross, I surveyed the situation of the anesthesia in the major hospitals in Afghanistan. There was almost no hospital to be able to carry out elective surgery except emergency operation, and even the basic facilities for anesthesia were not available in these hospitals. The improvement of country's health situation depends mainly on country's economical progress, besides foreign aid. Although the medical aid for these conflict areas is strongly requested to Japan as international contribution, a conflict itself destroys the social infra-structure of war torn countries, and therefore such medical aid is not easily accomplished.