More than 200 health facilities run by the World Health Organization in Afghanistan, providing medical care for 1.84 million people, have closed or ceased operating after the US aid cuts announced by the Trump administration shut off life-saving medical care, including vaccinations, maternal and child health services.
On his first day in office in January, President Donald Trump announced an immediate freeze on all US foreign assistance, including more than $40bn (£32bn) for international projects coming from USAID, the United States Agency for International Development. It was later confirmed that more than 80% of USAID programmes had been cancelled.
In Afghanistan, where health clinics have closed in 28 out of 34 provinces, this is leading to an “escalating humanitarian crisis”, according to the WHO, with the country already grappling with poverty and outbreaks of diseases such as measles, malaria and polio.
Afghanistan has already seen a rise in polio cases due to restrictions imposed by the Taliban on its vaccination programme.
Ajyal Sultany, head of communications at WHO in Afghanistan, said: “The closure of health facilities is compounding these crises, with displaced and marginalised communities facing heightened risks of disease, malnutrition, and inadequate medical care.”
In the worst-affected regions – north, west and north-east Afghanistan – more than a third of health clinics have now shut down, according to the WHO, with another 220 health facilities expected to close by June due to a lack of funding.
In some rural areas, the clinics were the only access the local population had to health services. The problem is compounded by the Taliban’s restrictions on women travelling without a male relative as a “guardian”.
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