KABUL — The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that 80 percent of essential health care services it supports in Afghanistan are at risk of shutting down due to a severe funding shortfall, potentially leaving millions without access to medical care.
According to a WHO report, as of March 4, 167 health facilities had already closed due to funding shortages, cutting off lifesaving medical services for 1.6 million people across 25 provinces. Without urgent intervention, the organization estimates that over 220 more facilities could close by June 2025, leaving an additional 1.8 million Afghans without primary health care.
The crisis is particularly severe in northern, western, and northeastern Afghanistan, where more than a third of health centers have already closed, raising alarms about an impending humanitarian disaster.
“These closures are not just numbers on a report—they represent mothers unable to give birth safely, children missing lifesaving vaccinations, entire communities left without protection from deadly disease outbreaks,” said Dr. Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO’s representative in Afghanistan. “The consequences will be measured in lives lost.”
Afghanistan is already grappling with multiple health emergencies, including outbreaks of measles, malaria, dengue, polio, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, the report noted.
With over 16,000 suspected measles cases and 111 deaths recorded in the first two months of 2025, the WHO warned that the situation is worsening due to critically low immunization rates—just 51 percent of children receive the first dose of the measles vaccine, and only 37 percent get the second dose.
“Without functioning health facilities, efforts to control these diseases are severely hindered,” the report stated.
The WHO said that while some donors continue to support Afghanistan’s health sector, overall funding has significantly declined as global development priorities have shifted. The organization warned that current aid levels are not enough to sustain essential health services for millions of Afghans.
“This is not just about funding—it is a humanitarian emergency that threatens to undo years of progress in strengthening Afghanistan’s health system,” Dr. Salvador said. “Every day that passes without collective support brings more suffering, more preventable deaths, and lasting damage to the country’s health care infrastructure.”
The health crisis is exacerbated by the Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls, which have severely limited the number of female medical staff and imposed bans on certain medical institutions. These policies have made it even more difficult for women and children, already among the most vulnerable populations, to access health care.
As the country’s fragile health system teeters on the edge, WHO officials have urged immediate international action to prevent further deterioration and save lives.
