Health Crisis in Afghanistan: WHO Warns of Closure of 80% Health Centers by June 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning that 80% of the health centers it supports in Afghanistan will be shut down by June 2025 due to a funding shortage. This crisis will cut off access to vital health services for 3.4 million Afghans, including women, children, the elderly, and internally displaced persons.
Weezha Roz-Kabul-As of March 4, 2025, 167 health centers have already been closed, disrupting services for 1.6 million people in 25 cities.
If immediate action is not taken, 220 more centers will be closed by June, leaving an additional 1.8 million people without access to health care.
In the northern, western, and northeastern regions, over one-third of the health centers have been shut down. Measles vaccination rates have plummeted to 51% for the first dose and 37% for the second dose.
In the first two months of 2025 alone, 16,000 suspected measles cases and 111 deaths have been reported.
The situation with malaria, dengue fever, polio, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is also out of control.
Dr. Edwin Siniza Salvador, WHO’s Head of Mission in Afghanistan, emphasized: “These closures are not just numbers! Mothers whose lives are at risk during childbirth, children who are not vaccinated, and communities left defenseless against deadly diseases the consequences of this crisis will be measured in human lives.”
Afghanistan’s already fragile health system is on the brink of collapse, and the only way to mitigate this crisis is through urgent funding and a renewed commitment from the international community.
Without immediate action, Afghanistan faces an irreversible humanitarian catastrophe.
The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan has yet to respond to this alarming statement by the WHO.
Weezha Roz
