ABSTRACT
The provision of medical care has been a major area of focus for humanitarian relief efforts, both those of the Afghan Mujahideen themselves and of international donors. The Committee gradually came to the conclusion, which was shared by other private organizations providing humanitarian aid to the Afghans, that the basic lack of sufficient numbers of trained Afghan medical personnel means that the efforts will reach their limits. A number of humanitarian aid groups, particularly the French AFRANE, have concentrated their relief efforts on the food situation. Swedish Committee for Afghanistan decided to concentrate on providing humanitarian aid through Afghan doctors rather than trying to send in Swedish or other foreign personnel. In March 1982 Americares carried out its first international humanitarian relief effort by airlifting a chartered jet of donated medical supplies to Poland. American groups have followed the general process described for the European humanitarian aid groups.
