GHAZNI, Afghanistan, March 26 (Xinhua) -- "Since our village health center closed, we have no choice but to transport sick women and children, mostly pregnant women and newborns, by bicycle to health facilities several kilometers away," lamented Rahmatullah from eastern Ghazni province of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's healthcare system, already fragile, has been further crippled by significant reductions in U.S. aid. The disruption of healthcare services has severely impacted millions of Afghans, particularly women and children in remote and mountainous regions.
In Ghazni city, about 125 km from the capital Kabul, 30 to 40 healthcare facilities have been forced to shut down due to U.S. funding cuts, depriving more than 100,000 residents of life-saving medical treatment.
One such facility, the Baghla Healthcare Center, previously serving Rahmatullah's village, was recently shut down due to funding shortages. "Because of economic hardships, people use bikes to carry sick women to neighboring villages for medical care," he explained. "The nearest health facility is six to eight km away."
According to the World Health Organization, 167 health centers have been closed across 25 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces due to funding shortages. Without immediate intervention, over 220 facilities would shut down by June 2025 throughout the war-stricken country.
The Baghla Health Center previously served an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people across 25 to 30 villages, said Dr. Khalid Durani, the facility's team leader. "On average, we treated 70 to 80 patients daily, most of whom were women and children under five," Durani told Xinhua. "Even after the closure, dozens of patients come from distant villages seeking treatment, only to return without medical care."
With the closure of this health center, maternal and infant mortality has escalated to an unprecedented phase in the areas covered, said Durani.
According to a statement from a UN spokesman in February, the U.S. funding cuts had led to the suspension of hundreds of mobile health teams and other essential services, affecting 9 million people across Afghanistan.
The withdrawal of funding has already forced the closure of 18 health facilities supported by Save the Children organization and its partners in Afghanistan.
Currently, only 14 of the organization's clinics have enough funding to remain operational for one more month, and without additional financial support, they will be forced to close. In January alone, these 32 clinics provided medical care to more than 134,000 children, Save the Children said in a recent statement.
Health officials in Ghazni acknowledged the improvements in healthcare services over the past three and a half years, but warned that the closure of health centers is having devastating consequences for impoverished communities, leading to a surge in maternal and child mortality.
"The shutdown of 30 to 40 health centers could result in the deaths of dozens of mothers and innocent children," said Dr. Mohammad Zark Zirak, head of the provincial public health department. "The crisis has directly impacted rural populations, the poor, and the public."
Afghanistan's healthcare system has been crippled by the U.S. government's freeze on approximately 9 billion U.S. dollars of Afghan assets following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in August 2021. The situation has worsened as additional U.S. aid reductions have forced hundreds of health facilities to close across the country. ■