Nearly one in 10 Afghan children under five is suffering from acute malnutrition as funding cuts force the closure or suspension of hundreds of health facilities, Save the Children said in a statement this week.

The organisation said wasting worsened in two-thirds of Afghanistan’s provinces in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year. Acute malnutrition among children under five has risen by 14% over four years, affecting an estimated 3.7 million children this year.

At the same time, humanitarian funding has fallen by almost 70%, from $3.27 billion in 2022 to $1 billion in 2025. Only $438 million has been secured so far in 2026, leaving a 74% funding gap.

Save the Children said nearly 600 health facilities have closed or suspended services because of funding cuts, affecting around four million people, half of them children.

About 700,000 people, including 140,000 children under five, have lost access to primary healthcare since Save the Children-supported facilities and mobile teams were closed or scaled back because of funding shortages since early 2025.

In a remote mountainous area of northern Afghanistan, the organisation runs the only healthcare facility serving around 10,000 people. The clinic sees more than 100 patients a day, with some walking two to three hours for treatment.

Save the Children said residents who cannot afford the roughly $60 journey to the nearest city hospital would face a seven-hour walk if the clinic closes.

The organisation has kept 14 clinics operating through short-term funding but warned that their future remains uncertain.

Ashish Damle, Save the Children’s country director in Afghanistan, said worsening hunger, mass returns from Iran and Pakistan, displacement, disasters, conflict and prolonged drought were placing humanitarian resources under severe pressure.

“The world cannot look away,” Damle said, warning that poverty, water shortages, illness and declining household incomes were also increasing child labour and disrupting education.

Save the Children said Afghanistan’s population has grown by up to 12% since September 2023, while more than six million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan amid tighter policies affecting Afghan nationals.

The organisation, which has worked in Afghanistan since 1976, currently operates programmes in nine provinces and works with partners in another 11.

Last year, it reached more than two million people, including nearly 5,000 children treated for severe acute malnutrition and 1.4 million people who received outpatient consultations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that declining international humanitarian funding is disrupting healthcare services across Afghanistan, forcing some health facilities to close and limiting access to essential medical care.

Speaking to Ariana News, WHO Representative in Afghanistan Edwin Ceniza Salvador said cuts in humanitarian assistance have placed the country’s health sector under increasing pressure, with many healthcare centers struggling to remain operational.

He said the funding shortfall is largely due to the growing number of humanitarian crises around the world, which have diverted international financial resources away from Afghanistan.

Salvador stressed that while continued humanitarian support remains essential, Afghanistan must also increase domestic investment in healthcare to build a more sustainable system.

“We have unfortunately seen a decline in global humanitarian funding in recent months because new emergencies have emerged in different parts of the world,” Salvador said. “As a result, many health facilities in Afghanistan are facing difficulties, and some have been forced to close. Alongside continued humanitarian support, greater domestic investment and increased funding for the health sector are essential.”

He noted that Afghanistan continues to face the effects of years of conflict, natural disasters and drought, making humanitarian assistance a critical lifeline for millions of people.

Despite the funding challenges, Salvador said the country has made progress in key health indicators, including increased childhood vaccination coverage and a decline in maternal mortality. However, he said expanding access to healthcare will require broader cooperation across government institutions and development partners.

The WHO warning comes amid growing concern from UN agencies over shrinking humanitarian funding for Afghanistan. Aid organizations have warned that reduced international assistance, coupled with the return of millions of Afghan migrants and the increasing impact of natural disasters, could further strain the country’s already fragile healthcare system and deepen the humanitarian crisis.

A pediatric hospital for treating heart diseases, particularly congenital heart defects such as holes in the heart, has been inaugurated in Kabul by the Afghan Red Crescent Society.

Officials from the organization say the hospital has the capacity to treat up to 2,000 patients annually and will provide free diagnosis, treatment, and heart surgery services around the clock.

Shahabuddin Delawar, head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, said the construction costs of the facility were covered through the organization’s own budget.

Previously, many patients suffering from heart conditions, especially children with holes in the heart, had to seek treatment at private hospitals or medical centers abroad due to limited access to specialized services inside the country.

Abdul Salam Hanafi, Administrative Deputy Prime Minister, said during the inauguration ceremony that the opening of the facility would help provide treatment for a large number of patients in need. He added that economic challenges had previously prevented many patients from accessing necessary medical services.

The head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society said local and foreign specialist doctors at the hospital will provide free, 24-hour cardiac services to patients, with efforts underway to ensure quality medical care.

Meanwhile, specialists at the hospital said modern medical equipment for diagnosing and treating heart diseases has been prepared at the facility.

The opening of the hospital offers new hope for patients, particularly children with congenital heart conditions, allowing them to receive free and specialized cardiac treatment inside Afghanistan and reducing the need for costly treatment abroad.