The United Nations: Over 100 Health Centers Closed in Afghanistan Due to Reduced Humanitarian Funding
The United Nations: Over 100 Health Centers Closed in Afghanistan Due to Reduced Humanitarian Funding
The United Nations has announced the closure of more than 100 health centers in Afghanistan as a result of reduced funding allocated for humanitarian operations. This comes amid escalating warnings regarding the worsening acute malnutrition crisis affecting millions of children and their difficulty in accessing necessary healthcare.
Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications at the United Nations, stated that approximately 3.7 million children in Afghanistan are suffering from acute malnutrition, with nearly one million of them facing life-threatening severe conditions.
Fleming explained that the reduction in humanitarian aid has led to the closing of over 100 health centers, which has exacerbated the difficulties faced by malnourished children in obtaining treatment and essential nutritional services.
In a related context, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Afghanistan warned that rising rates of acute and severe malnutrition among children are placing increasing pressure on hospitals and health facilities across the country.
UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, Dr. Mohamed Ayoya, emphasized the importance of early intervention to treat children suffering from malnutrition, stressing that it is crucial not to wait until their conditions deteriorate to a critical point that necessitates hospitalization.
He highlighted that UNICEF and its partners require “greater, more flexible, and sustainable” funding to ensure the continuity of nutrition and healthcare programs and to reach the most needy children and families.
The escalating crisis raises concerns about the Afghan families’ ability to access health services and meet their children’s basic needs, especially as millions continue to rely on humanitarian aid.
These developments come amid a decline in available funding for humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, threatening the continued closure of facilities and the reduction of health and nutrition services, thus exposing more children at risk of malnutrition to increasing health dangers.
