Kabul, Dec 14 (IANS): A total of 404 Afghan children with congenital heart disease (CHD) have received free surgical treatment over the past nine months in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, Mawlawi Mudassir Hamraz, spokesperson for the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) said on Saturday.

"The Afghan Red Crescent Society has facilitated free treatment for 404 children with congenital heart defects during the past nine months, and nearly 30,500 Afghan children with CHD, registered across the country, are in urgent need of treatment," the local media quoted Hamraz as saying.

The treatment of each child costs $750 to 2,350, fully covered by the ARCS, reports Xinhua, quoting private media outlet Tolo News.

Most of the children treated come from low-income families who could not afford medical care due to severe economic hardships.

However, thousands of other children suffering from CHD are still awaiting treatment.

In another development in the country's focus on the health sector, authorities in southern Afghanistan's Kandahar province set on fire 10 tons of expired medicines and foodstuff, urging drug shopkeepers to avoid selling expired items, the provincial director said on Friday.

According to the official, the burnt items had been collected from drug stores over the past six months, and such a move would continue.

That was part of efforts by Afghan authorities to ensure the safety of medicines and food items. Similar moves have been conducted in some cities, including the capital, Kabul, in recent months.

Additionally, polio campaigns are also ongoing in the Islamic country. According to the Ministry of Public Health, there are no confirmed positive polio cases registered in Afghanistan in 2024, and millions of children have been vaccinated till now.

Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail, the ministry's spokesperson, urged tribal elders, religious scholars, and parents to cooperate with polio workers to implement the campaign appropriately.