Morning Briefing

NPR Morning Edition host Renee Montagne on Thursday spoke with Alex Thier, who oversees USAID projects in Afghanistan, about the "tremendous efforts that have been made to improve medical care in the country over the last decade," noting, "A new survey shows stunning progress in medical care in the war-torn country." Thier said when the war began in 2001, Afghanistan had the worst health care in the world, with a life expectancy around 45 years, but with help from international agencies, life expectancy has increased to 62 to 64 years in the past decade. He notes that one of the programs helping to improve health care in the country is a midwife training program run by USAID (12/22).