OCHA warns Afghanistan’s maternal health system under mounting strain

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that Afghanistan’s maternal healthcare system is facing mounting pressure as humanitarian needs continue to grow, leaving millions of women and girls at risk of losing access to essential health services.

In its Afghanistan Humanitarian Update for June 2026, OCHA said more than 10.7 million women and girls are expected to require humanitarian assistance this year, making them among the populations most severely affected by the country’s prolonged humanitarian crisis.

The agency said ongoing restrictions affecting women’s movement, education and employment, coupled with economic hardship and declining humanitarian funding, have significantly reduced access to healthcare and other essential services while increasing protection risks and deepening vulnerabilities.

According to OCHA, Afghanistan continues to have one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. The agency estimated that the country recorded 638 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2024 — the highest rate in Asia and the seventh highest globally.

OCHA said the situation has been exacerbated by shortages of female healthcare workers, inadequate funding, limited supplies of essential medicines and gaps in emergency obstetric and neonatal care. These challenges are contributing to preventable deaths among mothers and newborns, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities where access to medical facilities remains limited.

The UN agency also warned of the long-term impact of restrictions on girls’ education, saying they threaten the future of Afghanistan’s healthcare workforce. Citing UNICEF estimates, OCHA said the country could lose more than 25,000 female teachers and health professionals by 2030 if current restrictions remain in place, potentially worsening shortages of female doctors, nurses and midwives.

During a recent assessment mission to Bamyan Province, OCHA highlighted the growing burden on local health facilities. Bamyan Provincial Hospital, the province’s main referral centre, continues to provide critical maternal and newborn services and houses the area’s only neonatal intensive care unit. However, the hospital is struggling to meet increasing demand with limited resources.

The agency said many expectant mothers arrive only after developing serious pregnancy-related complications because of long travel distances, poor road infrastructure and a lack of reliable referral services, reducing the chances of timely treatment.

OCHA called for sustained international support to strengthen Afghanistan’s fragile health system, warning that continued investment in maternal and newborn healthcare will be essential to reducing preventable deaths and ensuring that women, particularly those in remote areas, can access life-saving medical services.