WHO Warns Closure of 150 Health Centres Threatens Healthcare and Polio Eradication in Afghanistan

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an urgent warning that the closure of more than 150 health centres across Afghanistan since the start of 2026 is severely restricting access to essential medical care for millions of people. The shutdowns, driven by deepening funding shortages for humanitarian health services, are not only endangering basic healthcare delivery but also threatening global efforts to eradicate polio a disease that remains endemic in only two countries worldwide.

In a formal statement, WHO confirmed that the affected health facilities have suspended operations due to acute financial shortfalls, leaving vast swathes of the population without access to primary healthcare, maternal and child health services, disease prevention programmes, or emergency treatment. The agency warned that these closures are compounding the strain on Afghanistan’s already fragile health system, with women, children, and communities in remote, hard-to-reach areas bearing the heaviest burden.

According to WHO data, more than 22 million Afghans currently require some form of humanitarian assistance, of whom over 14 million are in immediate need of healthcare services. Yet by the end of June 2026, only 17 percent of the funding required for the country’s health response had been received a shortfall that has left critical programmes hanging in the balance and raised fears of further shutdowns in the coming months.

The agency underscored that the funding gap poses a direct threat to routine immunization campaigns and disease surveillance systems, both of which are vital to tracking and eliminating wild poliovirus. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where wild poliovirus transmission has never been interrupted, making sustained vaccination efforts not just a national priority but a global public health imperative. Any disruption in these campaigns could reverse years of progress and allow the virus to re-emerge in previously cleared areas.

The latest warning came on the heels of a high-level visit to Afghanistan by Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, who travelled to Kabul and Kandahar alongside representatives from international partner organizations. During the mission, Dr. Balkhy held talks with officials from the Taliban administration, frontline healthcare workers, UN agencies, and donor representatives to assess the deteriorating health and humanitarian situation firsthand.

In her remarks, Dr. Balkhy stressed that sustained international support is not optional but essential to maintaining life-saving health services and achieving the goal of a polio-free Afghanistan. She emphasized that interrupting transmission requires more than just vaccines it depends on a functioning healthcare infrastructure, well-trained and supported health workers, uninterrupted vaccination rounds, and predictable, long-term financing. Without these elements, she warned, the gains made over the past two decades could be irreversibly lost.

Afghanistan’s healthcare system has endured repeated financial shocks since the collapse of the previous government and the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, which triggered a sharp decline in international development aid. Humanitarian organizations report that donor funding reductions have already forced hundreds of health facilities to either scale back services or shut down entirely, disrupting access to essential medicines, maternal and neonatal care, nutrition programmes for malnourished children, and emergency trauma treatment.

The United Nations and various aid agencies have repeatedly cautioned that Afghanistan’s health sector remains almost entirely dependent on external assistance. They warn that without continued financial support, the situation will deteriorate further especially in rural provinces, where humanitarian services often constitute the only available source of medical care. In many districts, clinics are the sole point of contact with the formal health system, and their closure leaves entire populations with no alternative but to forgo treatment or travel long distances at great personal cost.

In response to the escalating crisis, WHO has made an urgent appeal to international donors to step up funding for Afghanistan’s health response. The agency cautioned that without immediate and substantial financial intervention, more facilities will likely close in the near future, leaving millions of Afghans without essential care and undoing hard-won progress against preventable diseases including polio, measles, and maternal and neonatal tetanus. The window for action, WHO warned, is narrow, and the cost of inaction will be measured in lives lost and a global health setback that could take decades to reverse.

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