KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has received over $6.3 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) to expand health services for vulnerable communities in Afghanistan.
In a statement Tuesday, WHO Afghanistan said $4.98 million from CERF will keep 42 primary health centers running, deploy 15 surveillance teams, and deliver 249 primary healthcare kits to 13 provinces.
An additional $1.39 million from AHF will support six sub-health centers and 13 inpatient therapeutic feeding centers, providing lifesaving care for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in four provinces.
WHO welcomed the funding, saying it comes at a time when Afghanistan’s health system is under severe strain, with nearly one in three people lacking access to even the most basic services.
Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO’s representative in Afghanistan, said the funds will help prevent avoidable deaths, respond to disease outbreaks, and reach the country’s most vulnerable communities.
According to WHO, the funding will directly benefit about 747,000 people, mostly women and children. Improved outbreak control measures are expected to indirectly benefit another 2.4 million people.
The support arrives amid a deepening healthcare crisis in Afghanistan fueled by dwindling international aid. WHO previously warned that 80% of the health facilities it supports could shut down. It confirmed that 202 centers have already suspended operations following the suspension of U.S. aid in February.
The funding gap has left health facilities short of staff and essential medicines. Taliban bans on women’s education and work, especially in healthcare, have worsened the crisis. Health officials say the sharp decline in female health workers has severely affected services for women and children.
