During an official visit to India, a technical delegation from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health visited the Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (HIMSR) in New Delhi, as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation in the health sector, particularly in the field of traditional medicine.

Officials and senior professors at HIMSR welcomed the Afghan team and provided detailed briefings on the institution’s academic programmes, research activities and medical services.

Discussions focused on opportunities for closer collaboration in traditional and integrative medicine, an area where Hamdard has long-standing expertise and international recognition.

HIMSR’s leadership expressed readiness to work with Afghan health authorities on joint research initiatives, quality testing and standardisation of traditional medicines through Hamdard’s laboratories, as well as knowledge-sharing programmes. The institution also pledged to offer scholarships and specialised training opportunities for Afghan doctors and medical professionals.

The visit comes as Afghanistan seeks to rebuild and strengthen its public health system amid ongoing economic and humanitarian challenges, with an emphasis on cost-effective and culturally accepted healthcare approaches such as traditional medicine.

India has historically been a key partner in Afghanistan’s health and education sectors, providing training, medical support and institutional cooperation.

Both sides said enhanced collaboration would contribute to improving public health outcomes, standardising traditional medicine practices, and expanding scientific and medical institutions in Afghanistan.

They reaffirmed their commitment to developing the partnership in a sustainable manner, aimed at long-term capacity building and mutual benefit.

Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, Noor Jalal Jalali, has said that Afghanistan is looking to strengthen health-sector cooperation with India, as relations with Pakistan have cooled and the country seeks alternative partners to meet its medical needs.

Speaking during his visit to India, Jalali said his primary focus is combating disease and improving public health, stressing that he is ready to seek assistance and cooperation from any country willing to help Afghanistan in this regard.

“My enemy is disease,” Jalali told reporters. “I will shoot at it from anywhere it is possible.”

He said the purpose of his visit is to open a new chapter of cooperation between Afghanistan and India.

Jalali noted that a significant portion of Afghanistan’s medicine requirements had previously been met by Pakistan. However, amid strained relations with Islamabad, the Islamic Emirate is now exploring alternative options to ensure the steady supply of essential medicines. He added that India could serve as a key partner.

Since the launch of the new Afghan visa module in April 2025, more than 500 visas, including over 200 medical visas, have been issued in the last four months, Indian media reported citing a senior Health Ministry official on Thursday.

India has also approved and implemented several key healthcare infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, including the construction of five maternity and health clinics in the provinces of Paktia, Khost and Paktika, a 30-bed hospital in Kabul, and the construction or upgradation of major facilities such as an Oncology Centre, Trauma Centre, Diagnostic Centre and Thalassemia Centre in Kabul, The Hindu newspaper reported. Additional proposals for health sector support are currently under active consideration.

On Thursday, India reaffirmed its continued commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s health sector and humanitarian needs during a meeting held between Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda and Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health Noor Jalal Jalali.

During the meeting, both sides reviewed ongoing health cooperation and discussed avenues to further strengthen collaboration in healthcare infrastructure, medical supplies and capacity building.

The Union Minister underlined that guided by India’s long-standing people-centric approach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always emphasised that India’s engagement with Afghanistan should remain focused on welfare, capacity building and access to critical healthcare services.

Nadda added that India’s assistance to Afghanistan remains guided by humanitarian considerations and the long-standing bonds between the peoples of the two countries.

“India has supplied 327 tonnes of medicines and vaccines to Afghanistan over the past four years. Cancer medicines and one CT scan machine, as requested by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, are ready for dispatch and will be delivered by the end of this month. Proposals from the Afghan side for a radiotherapy machine and additional medical supplies are also being processed,” he said.

The meeting also discussed capacity-building initiatives. India is working on modalities to send a team of senior Indian doctors to Afghanistan to organise a medical camp and provide training to Afghan doctors.

“At the meeting, India has reiterated its commitment to providing free treatment in India to Afghan patients suffering from emergency and serious ailments, and to facilitating medical visas,” said an Indian Health Ministry official.