The World Health Organization (WHO) has suspended funding for a 30-bed trauma center in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province, citing repeated interference and pressure from Taliban health officials, two sources said. The facility has since been shut down, the sources added.
The closure, confirmed on Tuesday, comes after the Taliban’s health director for Kandahar made multiple attempts to relocate the facility to an older, less-equipped building in the district, the sources said.
“This trauma center was built to meet specific standards,” one source explained. “Relocation was not feasible. After repeated interventions, it was ultimately shut down.”
A WHO representative in Kandahar acknowledged the closure, stating that the organization had been compelled to withdraw support.
“Due to persistent interference in our operations, we were forced to close this facility,” the official said. “Today, we handed over all medical equipment—worth hundreds of thousands of dollars—to the Kandahar Health Directorate in the presence of local officials.”
The Taliban-led health department in Kandahar has expressed plans to convert the facility into a public hospital for Spin Boldak, while repurposing the current site for a comprehensive health clinic.
The trauma center, established by the WHO, employed dozens of medical professionals and reportedly treated more than 100 patients daily, according to local sources.
In a related development, the WHO has also suspended funding for an infectious disease treatment center in Bamiyan Province, sources confirmed.
