KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Health Organization (WHO) says 420 health centres across Afghanistan have shut down since the suspension of financial aid from the United States in February.
In a report released Sunday, the agency said the closures have affected 3.05 million people across 30 provinces.
According to WHO figures, the affected facilities include 80 in the east, 70 in the southeast, 67 in the central highlands (Daikundi and Bamyan), 62 in the northeast, 49 in the north, 47 in the west, 34 in the south, and 11 in central provinces including Kabul, Logar, and Maidan Wardak.
Daikundi province has been the hardest hit, with 63 health centres closed, the highest number in any single province.
WHO warned that the suspension of US aid has severely limited access to essential and life-saving health services, particularly for vulnerable populations. The agency urged international donors to step in with alternative funding to prevent a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
The United States, once Afghanistan’s largest donor, suspended its foreign aid after Donald Trump assumed office.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Afghanistan has warned that due to shrinking budgets, 6.3 million people, most of them women and girls, risk losing access to critical health care.
Earlier, WHO cautioned that 80 percent of the health centres it supports in Afghanistan could shut down if funding gaps are not addressed.
The closures come amid a deepening humanitarian and economic crisis, nearly four years after the Taliban’s return to power, which has plunged the country into one of the most severe emergencies in decades.
Compounding the crisis, Afghanistan has been battered by natural disasters, including earthquakes, landslides, and torrential rains, causing both human casualties and widespread financial devastation for an already impoverished population.
Aid organisations warn that humanitarian assistance alone is not enough. They call for a sustained, coordinated, and context-specific international response to tackle Afghanistan’s growing economic, social, and environmental challenges.
