Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – Afghanistan’s already fragile healthcare system is edging toward collapse following sweeping foreign aid cuts and the abrupt closure of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which once supplied over 40 percent of humanitarian funding to the country. With critical support drying up, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that 80 percent of the services it backs could shut down by June, threatening essential healthcare access for millions of Afghans.
The fallout has been swift and severe. By early March, 167 health facilities had shuttered across 25 provinces, depriving at least 1.6 million people of medical care, according to the WHO. Without immediate funding, an additional 220 facilities could close within weeks, potentially affecting another 1.8 million people — particularly in Afghanistan’s northern, western, and northeastern provinces.
“These closures are not just numbers on a report. They represent mothers unable to give birth safely, children missing lifesaving vaccinations, entire communities left without protection from deadly disease outbreaks,” said Edwin Ceniza Salvador, the WHO’s representative in Afghanistan. “The consequences will be measured in lives lost.”
USAID’s departure has left a gaping hole in a system already heavily reliant on international aid. Dr. Shafiq Mirzazada, a researcher and public health expert, said the situation, while not yet a full collapse, could have sweeping and devastating effects. “The entire population will feel the impact,” he said.
Afghanistan’s health sector is entirely donor-funded, primarily through the Afghanistan Resilience Trust Fund (ARTF), which evolved from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. Administered by the World Bank, the fund now funnels resources through UN agencies and NGOs. But as global donor fatigue sets in and political uncertainties persist, that model is failing to meet growing needs.
“A significant portion of the funding goes to health programs through UNICEF and WHO,” Mirzazada said. “Primarily UNICEF channels funds through the Health Emergency Response project.”
Despite those efforts, the country’s healthcare infrastructure is buckling. Vulnerable populations — especially pregnant women, children, and the displaced — are at the epicenter of the crisis. Overcrowded camps and dwindling immunization programs are already contributing to a rise in preventable diseases.
“We’re already seeing challenges, with outbreaks of measles in the country,” Mirzazada warned. “The number of deaths due to measles is rising.”
The healthcare system’s maternal and child focus means any disruption directly impacts these groups. Services like antenatal care, delivery support, postnatal treatment, and routine immunizations are among those most at risk of disappearing.
As the summer approaches, the clock is ticking for Afghanistan’s health system. Without urgent international intervention, health experts warn the crisis will deepen — and more lives will be lost.
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