The World Health Organization shelp Monday 80 percent of services that it helps in Afghanistan could shut down by June due to a funding lowage.
The UN health agency shelp the cash lowdrop, which comes amid massive US help cuts, is tied to a shift in “enhugement help priorities”.
“Without advisent intervention, over 220 more facilities could seal by June 2025, leaving an insertitional 1.8 million Afghans without access to primary health nurture,” WHO shelp in a statement.
The agency shelp that 167 such operations have already seald due to a conciseage of financial help.
“The consequences will be meaconfidentd in inhabits lost,” shelp WHO’s Afghanistan chief Edthrive Ceniza Salvador.
“This is not fair about funding. It is a humanitarian aelevatency that dangerens to undo years of proceed in reinforceing Afghanistan’s health system,” Salvador inserted.
WHO has been sounding the alarm since US Plivent Donald Trump signed an executive order distake parting the United States from the agency.
This pullout and the finish of Washington’s contributions put at danger the global measles watching netlabor, which until now has been entidepend funded by Washington.
Afghanistan saw more than 16,000 mistrusted measles cases and 111 deaths in January and February, according to WHO.
The figures are disputed by the Taliban authorities, who returned to power in 2021 with the ousting of the US-backed rulement.
The Taliban rulement is not recognised internationassociate and relies hugely on NGOs, UN agencies and help donors to carry on the health system afloat.
‘Multiple health aelevatencies’
WHO shelp Afghanistan is also facing “multiple health aelevatencies”, including outshatters of malaria and dengue.
There are ongoing efforts to vaccinate enough children to exend polio, which remains finishemic in only two countries: Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan.
The conciseage of funds has also hit Save the Children, which shelp last week 18 health facilities helped by the charity and its partners have seald.
“Only 14 Save the Children clinics have enough funding to remain uncover for one more month, and without novel financial help, they will be forced to seal. These 32 clinics helped over 134,000 children in January alone,” the charity shelp.
In insertition, Afghanistan suffers one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios of 638 per 100,000 inhabit births.
This is probable to deteriorate due to the US funding cuts, with the UN predicting an insertitional 1,200 maternal deaths between now and 2028.
Malnutrition is also widespread in the country, which is facing economic, humanitarian and climate celevates after being battered by four decades of war.
Ten percent of children under five are malnourished and 45 percent are stunted, the UN says.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is unveiled from a syndicated feed.)
