UN: 700 healthcare facilities expected to close in Afghanistan

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The U.N. says that more than 40 percent of primary healthcare facilities, about 700 of Afghanistan’s 1,900 health posts, are expected to close between 2025 and 2026.

Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Pashto article.

The U.N. says that more than 40 percent of primary healthcare facilities, about 700 of Afghanistan’s 1,900 health posts, are expected to close between 2025 and 2026.

The consequences are “very, very, very significant,” said Bruno Lemarquis, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and the U.N.’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the country, on Friday in a press conference in New York City. “The consequences could go beyond the Afghanistan border, potentially affecting regional security, regional stability and migration pathways.”

According to the U.N., humanitarian funding to Afghanistan has dropped from $2 billion in 2023 to $570 million so far in 2026.

Afghanistan under the Taliban has been facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

The U.N. said last week that about 15.9 million people in Afghanistan, about one-third of the population, face serious food insecurity and acute malnutrition.

UNICEF said the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remains critical, driven by worsening food insecurity and malnutrition, outbreaks of diseases, the return of millions of Afghans from neighboring countries and recurring climate disasters.

“Funding shortfalls and pressure on essential services further compounded humanitarian needs, particularly among children, women, returnees and disaster-affected communities,” the UNICEF report said.

Lemarquis called the restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, “severe and sweeping,” depriving women and girls of learning, work and participating in public life.

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