Loss of foreign aid together with Taliban rights violations have caused a catastrophic health crisis in Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the country’s economy has collapsed. Donor countries’ decisions to reduce humanitarian aid, which in large part funded Afghanistan’s public health system, have weakened health care access, destabilized the economy, and worsened food insecurity. The crisis has left millions increasingly vulnerable to malnutrition and illness.
The Taliban’s role
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s abusive policies have exacerbated this disaster. Bans on education for women and girls have blocked most training for female healthcare workers, ensuring shortages for the foreseeable future. The severe obstructions on women both providing or accessing healthcare, and the soaring cost of treatment and medicine, have put healthcare out of reach for many Afghans.
Before the Taliban’s 2021 takeover, the Afghan government depended on donor countries’ support to fund services like primary health care, even as Afghans paid most healthcare costs from their own pockets. This left the system vulnerable to collapse if aid disappeared.
Today, humanitarian organizations struggle to fill the void.
Economic Crisis
While affording healthcare has always been difficult for Afghans living in poverty, many more now also struggle to pay for food and are often unable to pay for medicine and transportation to reach health services.
The United Nations estimates that 23.7 million people – more than half of Afghanistan’s population – will need humanitarian assistance in 2024. While humanitarian agencies provide life-saving assistance, they cannot replace all the essential services that had previously depended on donor support.
As millions in Afghanistan face life-threatening conditions, the situation requires more than humanitarian aid. It requires international donors to condemn Taliban abuses while supporting necessary healthcare and essential services to help alleviate the population’s suffering.
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