Afghanistan Peace Campaign
Severe cuts in humanitarian funding have forced hundreds of health facilities across Afghanistan to close or scale back services, leaving millions of people with reduced access to essential medical care, according to reports.
Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday, citing new findings from Save the Children, reported that about 600 essential healthcare facilities have been forced to close as international aid to Afghanistan has sharply declined. Around 4 million people, including roughly 2 million children, had previously relied on the affected services.
The closures have hit people in remote and underserved areas particularly hard, where alternative healthcare facilities are often far away and difficult to reach. UNICEF warned that funding shortages have forced some health centres and nutrition sites to scale back or shut down, leaving vulnerable children and families without timely care.
The World Health Organization has separately reported that at least 422 primary healthcare facilities, including mobile health and nutrition teams, were closed in 2025 following the suspension of U.S. funding and reductions from other donors. WHO estimates the closures reduced access to healthcare for about 3.3 million Afghans and disrupted services including maternal care and family planning.
Afghanistan’s health system remains heavily dependent on international financing. WHO estimates that 14.4 million people will require health assistance in 2026, amid the combined pressures of poverty, displacement, disease outbreaks, food insecurity and climate-related disasters.
The funding crisis has also intensified concerns over child malnutrition. Save the Children reported that nearly 4 million Afghan children are acutely malnourished, with the closure or reduction of health and nutrition services making it harder for children to receive timely treatment. UNICEF has warned that interruptions in treatment can cause severely malnourished children to deteriorate rapidly.
The crisis is further complicated by the return of millions of Afghans from neighbouring countries, which has placed additional pressure on an already fragile health system, particularly in border areas. WHO said large-scale returns from Pakistan and Iran are overwhelming some health facilities and increasing demand for medical services.
Humanitarian agencies have called for urgent and flexible funding to restore and maintain essential health services. Without additional support, aid organisations warn that more facilities could close or reduce operations, leaving vulnerable Afghans with fewer options for basic healthcare.