In 1989, soon after the Soviet troops left Afghanistan, the German-Afghan Committee (DAK) with the assistance of the European Union decided to set up a hospital in Chak-e-Wardak, located c. 65 km southwest of Kabul. During the Soviet occupation already, the DAK had conducted medical relief operations in the region and found a suitable location in Chak in the immediate vicinity of a hydro-electric power station built by Siemens in 1938-42. The power station had never been attacked during the war of liberation and promised to provide shelter from military aggression. The choice of location proved fortunate for since 1989 the region around Chak has remained peaceful. Abundant water supplies and a mild mountain climate further added to the suitability of the place.


The Hospital

Karla Schefter, a former senior operation theatre nurse at the Dortmund City Hospital and a DAK co-worker, together with two doctors commenced her work as a senior nurse and medical instructor at Chak. Initially two rooms were set up as a provisional clinic at the powerplant, where health care was provided and operations of out-patients were conducted under extremely basic circumstances. In July 1989 work on the first building was started, with the consent of the local shura and financial assistance from the EU. The building was formally inaugurated on 26 June 1991. Meanwhile, Karla Schefter had spent the winter season in Germany to raise funds for the hospital.

In December 1991, Karla Schefter took up a job with the German Development Service (Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst) and in January 1992 returned to Chak, this time as a project supervisor. Her second sojourn in Afghanistan came to an abrupt end when in December 1992 the hospital, still under construction, was closed due to the termination of the EU grant. The DAK was dissolved following charges of corruption and no finances were forthcoming. Some Afghan staff, however, remained in Chak and continued to work without remuneration to protect the hospital from being looted or misused.

The Hospital, 1994

Back in Germany, Karla Schefter enlisted the assistance of several medical doctors who had previously visited Chak to set up a charitable organization and provide financial assistance to the hospital. This led to the establishment of the CPHA. By the time Karla Schefter returned to Chak in March 1993, DM 30,000 had been raised. With a minimum of staff and expenditure the hospital survived for another year. In 1994 the EU offered to finance the hospital for another two years.

Meanwhile, with the help of the German Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) another building was completed. The hospital now had a kitchen, laundry, bakery and dining hall. Funds raised by the CPHA went into additional buildings to provide waiting and treatment rooms for out-patients, a vaccination centre, a physiotherapy room and staff accommodation. The technical equipment was supplemented and medical personnel, including two female doctors, was hired. In July 1994 the hospital was for the first time able to function as a full-fledged institution.

In 1999 the German Embassy in Peshawar helped to finance a new kitchen and bakery and an incinerator for the disposal of medical waste. The city of Dortmund financed several warehouses. In the same year the German Lepra relief organization LEPCO built a TB clinic in the immediate vicinity of the hospital whose patients are looked after by it. In 2001 two new guesthouses and a staff common building were completed. In 2002 the hospital's female wing was expanded and 10 new traditional houses for the medical staff were added. For the hospital's safety its premises were surrounded by a wall. In 2003 a dental station was added.

By the end of 2005 the hospital had 63 Afghan staff, including eight armed guards. Since 1997 communication has tremendously improved through a Satellite phone and direct radio contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Kabul. UNICEF expanded its vaccination centre into a regional vaccination centre, which is now operated by the Swedish Committee of Afghanistan (SCA). In cooperation with UNICEF and UNDP/CDAP the training of women has been intensified to train nurses, midwives, physiotherapy and vaccination assistants.

Financial assistance from government and private agencies, material donations and a new financial grant by the EU not only ensured the hospital's survival but made it possible to continuously expand its facilities. The number of patients has constantly risen from 14,500 in 1994 to 55,000 in 2005. During the period 1994-2005 a total of 450,000 patients have been attended to, over 70% being women and children. Every year an average of 80,000 persons receive vaccination.

Since it was founded in 1989, the Chak-e Wardak Hospital has established itself as an indispensable institution in regional health care. It not only continues to be the only hospital in the province of Wardak, but also attracts patients from neighbouring provinces, from Kabul and sometimes even from Herat in Western Afghanistan. As an institution providing medical training to Afghan women it is a rare institution in Afghanistan. Chak-e Wardak enjoys an excellent reputation among the Afghan population and is highly respected by other humanitarian organizations and by UN bodies.