A cancer diagnosis and treatment center was opened in Kabul on Thursday, aiming to expand domestic care for patients who have long relied on treatment abroad.
The Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health said the facility, described as a “national hospital,” was approved by their leader following a proposal from the ministry.
Taliban Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali said at the opening ceremony that the center would gradually provide specialised services with increased capacity under a long-term strategic plan.
“We plan, in cooperation with India, to establish radiotherapy facilities at the national cancer treatment hospital,” Jalali said, adding that specialist training programmes would also be launched to train medical staff inside the country.
Taliban Deputy Health Minister Abdul Wali Haqqani said the lack of diagnostic and treatment facilities in the past had forced many cancer patients to seek care abroad, and that the new centre would help address that gap.
Despite the announcement, some cancer patients and their families say access to diagnosis and treatment remains limited and that many still face serious financial and logistical challenges.
Addressing the event, World Health Organization representative Edwin Ceniza Salvador said the new hospital marked an important step in improving cancer care in Afghanistan.
“For too long, cancer patients in Afghanistan have faced overcrowded facilities, limited services and the need to travel far from home — or even outside the country — to seek care,” Salvador said.
He said the seven-storey building was allocated to the National Cancer Control Program in 2025 and renovated with support from the European Union, with technical assistance from WHO.
The hospital currently provides inpatient services, chemotherapy, surgical oncology, laboratory and radiological services under one roof and serves as a national referral centre, Salvador said. Plans are in place to expand capacity to 200 beds in coming years.
More than 60 doctors, nurses and pharmacists from across the country have been trained in oncology, chemotherapy administration and palliative care as part of the programme, he added.
According to figures from the WHO cited by the health ministry, nearly 20,000 people in Afghanistan develop cancer each year, with around 15,000 deaths annually.
Afghanistan’s health system has struggled for decades due to conflict, underinvestment and the withdrawal of international funding following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, leaving millions dependent on limited public services and international aid.
