Taliban have shuttered four key departments at Mirwais Regional Hospital in Kandahar, significantly reducing access to public health services for thousands of patients across southern Afghanistan, according to medical staff and officials familiar with the matter.
The closed units include ophthalmology, pediatric surgery, orthopedics and dermatology, sources told Amu.
The hospital has long served as a critical referral center for low-income patients across at least 11 provinces, particularly in the country’s south.
The closures come just days after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada reportedly visited the facility on July 13. While the reasons behind the decision remain unclear, health workers said the move has severely hampered the hospital’s ability to function.
Staff at Mirwais Hospital confirmed that the affected departments have been shut down and that plans are underway to relocate some services to the Aino Mina Hospital, located several kilometers outside Kandahar city — far from easy reach for many patients.
“This decision has pushed the hospital’s operations to near-collapse,” said one staff member, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Several patients said medical services had become virtually inaccessible in recent weeks. Examinations are no longer conducted, medications must now be purchased out of pocket, and many specialists have left their posts, leading to unprofessional conduct by newly hired, inexperienced personnel.
Neither the hospital’s administration nor local Taliban officials have issued a public statement on the matter.
