The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan worsens, where the health system has collapsed. Thanks to the interruption of humanitarian aid following the financial blockade imposed by the United States and the West, 87% of the health facilities in the country have closed. According to a study in the Lancet journal, a reduction in health services between 39% and 52% could mean a devastating increase in infant deaths to a total of 2,170 deaths per month, but the numbers could be much higher. Currently in Afghanistan only 300 health facilities survive compared to the 2,300 that operated in the territory before the takeover by the Taliban.
Even before their arrival, however, the situation was among the worst globally; the political, economic and social chaos brought about by the establishment of the Islamic Emirate completely compromised an already so fragile balance. A few days ago, the head of operations of Intersos, which manages two trauma points for medical emergencies in Afghanistan, told La Stampa that the country’s health expenditure depended almost entirely on financial aid from abroad. With the Afghan bank’s foreign reserves “frozen” after the arrival of the Taliban, the health sector was among the first to collapse.
Among the few realities still present in the area, some of the largest players in international cooperation remain, such as Intersos and Save the Children: after an interruption for security reasons, the latter resumed life-saving health services in the provinces of Kandahar, Balkh , Nangarhar, Langham and Kunar where it provided relief to 1,340 children and mothers with health and nutrition services. In addition to basic and maternal and child services, it is important to highlight the mental health care of the population, which many reports have already described as critical.