KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Uzbekistan has sent humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, along with a team of doctors to provide free medical check-ups for the residents of northern Balkh province, according to the Uzbek news agency.
As reported by Uzbek News, the humanitarian assistance was sent in response to a request from the Taliban and the instruction of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
According to the report, from December 25 to 30, residents of Balkh province will have the opportunity to receive free medical consultations from qualified Uzbek doctors.
“The delivery of the humanitarian aid was made at the request of the Afghan side, which was raised during a bilateral meeting between the governments of the two countries,” according to the report.
Amid the humanitarian and governance crisis in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, the long-standing health crisis is worsening due to Taliban restrictions, funding shortages, a lack of medicine, and a shortage of skilled healthcare professionals.
According to the UN, over 18 million people in Afghanistan, mostly women and children, rely on health assistance. Earlier in June, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that approximately 24 mothers and 167 infants die each day in Afghanistan due to a lack of essential healthcare services.
The Taliban’s restrictions on the education and employment of women and girls, especially the recent ban on medical training, have worsened the situation, intensifying the shortage of healthcare workers across the country.
In recent years, UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), have repeatedly raised concerns about the shortage of qualified healthcare workers, particularly female workers, in the country.
“We already find it challenging to fill all necessary medical positions in our facilities, including for female doctors and gynecologists, who are extremely scarce in Afghanistan. We need more female doctors, not fewer,” MSF warned last year.
