KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Local Taliban authorities in northern Balkh province say that the number of patients with cancer has significantly increased this year compared to previous years.
As reported by local media outlet Ariana News today, April 19th, Ehsanullah Kaliwal, the Taliban head of the oncology department at Balkh Regional Hospital, said that the figure almost doubled this year compared to the previous year.
“In 1401, about 2,613 OPD (outpatient department) cases were registered with us. In 1402, these figures were 4,912 cases,” he said.
The Taliban authority said that only in the first month of this solar year (April), 423 cancer patients visited the hospital for treatment.
The report highlights that a significant portion of cancer patients in Balkh province suffer from stomach cancer, with these patients urging Taliban authorities to enhance treatment facilities in the province.
The news outlet quoted doctors who attributed the sharp increase to genetic factors, environmental pollution, indiscriminate medication use, and excessive meat consumption.
Amidst a humanitarian and governance crisis in Afghanistan, the longstanding health crisis is worsening due to funding shortages and a shortage of skilled health professionals.
The Taliban’s restrictive policies, especially their prohibition on women’s education and employment, have notably worsened the situation. Over the past three years, numerous humanitarian agencies, which were also delivering health services in the country, suspended their operations due to Taliban restrictions and funding shortages.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that access to quality healthcare remains a pressing issue in Afghanistan with over 18 million people depending on humanitarian health assistance in the country.
Hundreds of patients, especially those with cancer, who lack access to quality healthcare services in Afghanistan, attempt to travel to Pakistan for better treatment despite significantly higher costs.
Even that option, however, is growingly becoming inaccessible. Pakistan does not permit Afghan patients to enter the country without legal documentation nor does it issue visas on a timely and transparent basis. Obtaining an Afghanistan passport and purchasing costly Pakistani visas from the black market is extremely challenging under these circumstances.
Over the past years, Pakistan has repeatedly closed its borders to Afghan patients without passports and visas. Just two days ago, the country closed the Torkham border, the busiest crossing point, to Afghan patients lacking legal documents.
This is not the first instance where Taliban health authorities have reported an increase in the number of cancer patients. Two months ago, authorities at Herat Regional Hospital reported a 30% rise in cancer cases in the province compared to the previous year.
The health authorities in Afghanistan’s western province said they have received 6,500 cancer patients during the last solar year, indicating a 30% increase compared to the previous year.
Currently, Afghanistan has three cancer diagnosis and treatment centers located in Herat, Kabul, and Kandahar provinces. Previously, Taliban health officials reported that annually, 40,000 people in Afghanistan are diagnosed with cancer, with approximately 16,000 to 20,000 losing their lives to the disease.
