Written question asked by Mohammad Sarwar (Labour) on Tuesday, 13 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 October 2009. It was answered by Douglas Alexander (Labour) on Wednesday, 21 October 2009 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Afghanistan: Infant Mortality

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given to the Government of Afghanistan to help in reducing levels of infant mortality.

Answer: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports the Afghan Government in reducing levels of infant mortality through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund (ARTF). DFID has provided £360 million to the ARTF since 2002, and is planning a further £165 million to 2013. This will cover around 14 per cent. of the total operating costs of the Afghan health sector.In Helmand, the UK is supporting the Afghan Government's efforts to improve health care through the cross-departmental conflict fund and the provincial reconstruction team.Government of Afghanistan programmes in the health sector have achieved the following results:"Full immunisation of children has risen from 15 per cent. in 2003 to 27 per cent. in 2006""The number of Afghan midwives has increased from 467 in 2002 to 2,167 in 2008;""82 per cent. of the population now live in a district with access to basic healthcare across the country, compared with 9 per cent. in 2003. As a result, an estimated 40,000 more Afghan children will see their fifth birthdays this year compared to 2002."

Secondary information