Residents of Kandahar say their children are suffering from infectious, seasonal and skin diseases, with many families unable to afford treatment.
Families living in migrant camps told Amu that cases of illness among children have increased in recent weeks. In one temporary camp, 25 children under the age of 10 share a household, most of them battling acute seasonal sicknesses.
“We cannot afford treatment,” said Abdul Sattar, a Kandahar resident. “When we go to the clinic, they tell us to come back on Wednesday. They don’t treat our malnourished children, they just stamp papers. One of my children has a serious eye problem, and we are really struggling.”
Others said access to care has worsened since the closure of clinics once run by international organizations.
“The clinics are very far from us, and if we reach one, there is no medicine,” said Lal Mohammad, another resident. “There are many sick people here — both children and adults — but no doctors and no treatment. We don’t even have income to pay for medicine. We ask aid agencies to increase the number of clinics.”
Local medical sources said the most common health problems among children, especially those from migrant families, include seasonal infections, malnutrition, lack of vaccinations and respiratory illnesses.
