This national health policy is a guide to the overall context within which all health and health-related work for accelerating implementation should be developed and implemented over the next five years, 2005-2009. The choice of a time frame of five years for this new national policy reflects the more stable and wider context within which the Ministry of Public Health is now functioning.  Because a health policy should not go into detail, a new national health strategy has also been produced (further described below and towards the end of this document). The policy and strategy have been agreed with the following three important factors in mind: 1. The formation of a new government following agreement on the new Afghan Constitution in 2004

2. The 2004 Public Investment Programme

3. Ensurance of a close link between the development of the new health national policy and strategy and that of the next National Budget

The new national health policy 2005-2009 puts forth the:
1. Mission Statement, Values and Working Principles of the Ministry of Public Health.

2. National Health Policy goal, objectives, priorities and outcomes

3. Policy statements on each of the 18 policy priorities

Within the framework of the national health policy, the new national health strategy provides the direction and scope of work for two years, 2005-2006.  The strategy helps answer the question, ‘How are we going to successfully achieve the policy?’
The new national health strategy states the following:

1. National health strategy objective and five planned outputs

2. Critical success factors, conditions, risks and assumptions

3. Eighteen strategies based on the 18 priorities given in the national health policy, stating both what is to be done and the mechanisms through which each of the strategies will mainly be implemented

4. Outputs to be achieved for each strategy, along with appropriate indicators of achievement to facilitate, for example, review and/or a mid term evaluation

5. Strategic actions to help implement the strategies

6. Priorities in resource allocation among the 18 strategies

7. Allocation of responsibility within the Ministry for each strategy

During the period 2005-2009, there will be two national health strategies, one for 2005-6 and one for 2007-9. Two national health strategies are needed because considerable uncertainty exists around future funding for the health sector, including implementation through contracting out primary and hospital services to non-government organisations. Current donor agreements for support end in 2006; from 2007 on, different ways of working may be needed. In addition, in the rapidly changing post conflict environment in Afghanistan, a period of five years is too long a time frame for only one strategy.