Deepening Crisis: Over 14 Million Afghans Denied Basic Healthcare Amid Funding Cuts and Taliban Restrictions

KABUL/GENEVA – A staggering 14.3 million Afghans—nearly one-third of the country’s population—are now cut off from essential health services, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned, highlighting a catastrophic healthcare collapse fueled by a perfect storm of vanishing international funding, shuttered facilities, and the Taliban’s systematic sidelining of female health workers.

The crisis, detailed in Afghanistan’s 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, underscores the rapid unravelling of the nation’s health system since the Taliban’s return to power. While the country was already grappling with decades of conflict and poverty, the current regime’s restrictions on women have dealt a crippling blow to a system that relied on female staff to deliver care to half the population.

A System on the Brink

The WHO attributes the massive gap in coverage to three interconnected factors:

1. Decreased Funding: The abrupt halt of international development aid following the Taliban takeover in 2021 has starved the public sector of resources. While humanitarian assistance continues, it is a stopgap measure unable to sustain a nationwide health system.

2. Closure of Facilities: Hundreds of health clinics, particularly those previously run by non-governmental organizations, have been forced to close due to a lack of funds and operational challenges.

3. Reduction of Female Healthcare Workers: The Taliban’s edicts barring women from education and many forms of work have decimated the healthcare workforce. This not only deprives female doctors, nurses, and midwives of their livelihoods but also makes it culturally impermissible for millions of women and girls to seek care from male practitioners.

“The consequences are as predictable as they are tragic,” said a source from a major international aid agency, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We are seeing a sharp rise in preventable maternal and infant mortality, untreated chronic illnesses, and a resurgence of diseases like measles and polio. The ban on female workers is quite literally a death sentence for countless Afghan women.”

International Lifelines and Their Limits

In response, the European Union has announced an additional €1 million in funding, bringing its total health-sector support in Afghanistan to €7 million since May 2025. This new injection of aid is specifically targeted at strengthening emergency health responses for the most vulnerable, including returnees from neighboring countries and isolated communities in remote regions.

According to the WHO, EU support has been instrumental in keeping critical services afloat. The funding has helped operationalize 41 primary health centers, four maternity hospitals, two emergency units at the strategic Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings, malnutrition treatment centers, and midwifery training programs in rural areas. These last two initiatives are a direct attempt to bridge the gap left by the absence of female health workers.

Dr. Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO Representative in Afghanistan, stated that this assistance is crucial. “This support ensures that no one is left behind, even in the most remote areas,” Dr. Salvador said. “In the face of overwhelming need, we must reaffirm that access to health is a fundamental right, not a privilege.”

A representative from the EU’s humanitarian aid office in Afghanistan reaffirmed the Union’s commitment, emphasizing the role of this cooperation in delivering life-saving services during an ongoing, complex humanitarian crisis. This crisis is now characterized by a cycle of natural disasters, mass displacement, and infectious disease outbreaks.

An Uncertain Future

While the emergency funding provides a critical lifeline, aid officials caution that it is a temporary solution to a deep, structural problem. The long-term sustainability of Afghanistan’s health system remains in jeopardy without a functioning economy and a fundamental shift in the Taliban’s policies regarding women.

The WHO expressed gratitude for the EU’s support and reaffirmed its commitment to working with other humanitarian partners. However, the organization’s report serves as a stark reminder that in the absence of a political solution, the international community is left scrambling to patch a system that is breaking at its seams, leaving millions of Afghans in a desperate struggle for survival.

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