Over 1 mln needy Afghans receive humanitarian aid during past year

KABUL, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) distributed humanitarian aid to more than 1.4 million people across the war-torn Afghanistan during the past year, an official said on Saturday.

"Over 1,430,000 vulnerable and affected people received financial, food, and non-food aid during the past year," Abdul Latif Sabit, deputy secretary general of ARCS, said at a government accountability program to brief the nation on the administration's achievements.

The Afghan government always stressed the need to provide work and employment opportunities for the vulnerable to help them become self-sufficient.

According to the annual report of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, about 2,212 children suffering from ventricular septal defects received treatment, and nearly 6 million other patients received health services during the past year.

The Afghan caretaker government has vowed to improve public services, including the health sector, throughout Afghanistan, as people lack adequate health access in most parts of the country. ■