Salang Hospital: Lack of Water and Power Severely Limits Hospital Services, and Major Construction Deficiencies Raise Safety Concerns.

摘要

Salang hospital was not built in accordance with contract requirements. In mid-2012, a U.S. Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) task force inspected the site during construction and found a number of deficiencies, including water, sewer, electrical, and heating systems that were incomplete or needed repair. The task force noted the inhabitants of Salang district would have inadequate access to healthcare until construction deficiencies were remedied and missing equipment provided. In November 2012, the contractor was paid in full. However, SIGAR s November 2013 inspection found that the deficiencies identified by the task force had not been corrected. For example, the water well, solar power system, and second 30 kilowatt generator required by the contract had not been provided. Because there was no clean water, staff at the hospital were washing newborns with untreated river water. SIGAR s inspectors identified additional problems. For example, the original design drawings called for three one-story buildings a 15-room hospital, a four-stall toilet, and a guard shack but SIGAR found that a single, poorly constructed, two-story building had been built.