Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that 80 percent of the essential health care services it supports in Afghanistan could become discontinued due funding shortfall.
In a statement issued Monday, WHO called for an urgent intervention to prevent the closure of over 220 facilities by June 2025, leaving 1.8 million Afghans without access to primary health care.
It added that already as of March 4, 2025, 167 health facilities had shut down due to funding shortages, cutting off lifesaving medical care to 1.6 million people across 25 provinces.
"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 WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Afghanistan, Dr Edwin Ceniza Salvador. "The consequences will be measured in lives lost."
