Local sources in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province have reported the closure of a 60-bed maternity hospital due to a lack of funds, further worsening the healthcare challenges in the region.
According to sources, the World Health Organization (WHO) had been funding the hospital previously. However, beginning in July, the organization ceased its support, leading to the hospital’s immediate closure.
Sources said that the closure of the hospital not only exacerbated the local population’s challenges in accessing essential healthcare services but also left around 73 doctors, nurses, and other employees jobless.
The WHO has not yet commented on the matter.
Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, dozens of hospitals and health facilities across the country have ceased operations due to a shortage of funds, as international organizations have stopped supporting them.
According to a WHO report, 428 static and mobile health facilities in Afghanistan were forced to shut down last year alone due to severe underfunding, leaving over millions of people without access to health services.
Women and children face the most severe consequences of the situation, as the Taliban has imposed restrictions on women’s movement, limited their access to health services, and barred them from visiting hospitals without a male guardian.
Last month, the WHO reported that an estimated 24 mothers and 167 infants die each day in Afghanistan from preventable causes due to lack of access to necessary healthcare services.
“Women and children are increasingly vulnerable to adverse health outcomes, particularly concerning reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health,” WHO said. “Tragically, preventable maternal mortality claims the lives of 24 mothers every day, and a staggering 167 infants die each day of preventable causes,” it added.
Earlier, the UN health agency requested an additional $342 million to supplement its total budget of $423 million, with the aim of continuing its projects in Afghanistan throughout 2024-2025.
“US$ 115 million to reach the unreached and place women’s and children’s health first; US$ 231 million to protect people every day, and US$ 6.1 million to coordinate the health sector for maximum impact,” WHO detailed.
