KABUL – Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) would begin pneumonia vaccination program for Afghan children next year.

Minister Dr Suraya Dalil said pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and malaria where major disease affecting Afghan kids, while malnutrition, premature delivery and babies born with deformities were other problems inflicting children in the country.

She revealed these details while addressing an international scientific conference on children health in Kabul.

The nationwide vaccination campaign next year would be one of the ministry’s program to reduce child mortality, she added.

Ten years ago the mortality of children before the age of five years was 254 for every 1,000 children but has dropped to 97, said Dr Dalil.

The ministry and Agha Khan Foundation on Saturday signed an agreement that would enable Afghan doctors to be trained as specialist at the Agha Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.

Dr. Aziz Ahmad Jan, the chief of French Medical Institute of Children told reporters that under the agreement doctors would be sent for the specialization trainings in nine deferent fields, including pathology, cardiology, anesthesia and radiology in March next year. (Pajhwok)