Health

WHO’s chief calls for ‘engagement’ to prevent collapse of health sector

Published

4 years ago

September 23, 2021

World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that the health system in Afghanistan is on the brink of collapse and called on the international community to engage with the new rulers, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

Giving a report back following his visit to Kabul this week, Ghebreyesus said: “In Afghanistan, we met with senior members of the Taliban (IEA) leadership, including the interim Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund. I believe that engaging the Taliban (IEA) leadership is essential if we are to support the people of Afghanistan.”

Ghebreyesus said that the health system in Afghanistan is on the brink of collapse.

“Over the past 20 years, significant health gains have been made in Afghanistan, in reducing maternal and child mortality, to end polio, and more. Those gains are now at severe risk, with the country’s health system on the brink of collapse,” he said.

According to him, almost 50% of children in Afghanistan are at risk of malnutrition and the country is facing an imminent humanitarian catastrophe unless urgent action is taken.

“There has been a surge in cases of measles and diarrhea; almost 50% of children are at risk of malnutrition; a resurgence of polio is a major risk; and 2.1 million doses of COVID19 vaccine remain unused,” Ghebreyesus said.

Ghebreyesus also raised his concern over the exodus of health workers from the country.

“Health workers are leaving, creating a brain drain that will have consequences for years to come,” said Ghebreyesus adding that “We visited a hospital where I met some nurses who have stayed. My heart broke when they told me they have not been paid in three months, but they said they would continue to serve their patients.”

Ghebreyesus also said that education is essential for protecting and promoting health in all countries, both in terms of health literacy, and for building the health workforce.

“The Taliban (IEA) leadership has announced that primary schools are open for boys and girls, and that they are preparing to open high schools to girls. In our discussions we offered to support that process, in partnership with other UN agencies,” Ghebreyesus said.

Ghebreyesus stated that at the moment the WHO’s priority is to support and sustain the health system in Afghanistan.

“The focus of our efforts now is to support and sustain the Sehatmandi project, which is the backbone of Afghanistan’s health system, providing care for millions of people through 2,300 health facilities, including in remote areas,” Ghebreyesus said.

He called on international donors to rapidly re-commit to finance the health system in Afghanistan and said the current pause in funding has resulted in only 17% of these facilities being fully functional at the moment.

He also said two thirds of all health facilities are out of stock of essential medicines.

“As a stop-gap measure, the UNCERF and the GlobalFund are financing WHO and our partners to ensure continuity of health services for the next three months. But this is simply not enough.

“WHO is calling on international donors to rapidly re-commit to finance Sehatmandi, as they have done for almost two decades. We simply can’t abruptly halt support for life-saving health services for millions of Afghans at a time when they’re most vulnerable,” he said.

Ghebreyesus also announced that WHO has now shipped more than 170 metric tons of medical supplies to Afghanistan in the past few weeks.

“We also need a reliable supply chain to be established urgently. WHO was the first agency to airlift essential medicines and supplies into Afghanistan, and we have now shipped more than 170 metric tons of medical supplies,” he said.

Afghanistan is now faced with a medicine shortage crisis due to disrupted border crossings and limited operation of banks along with the stoppage of foreign transactions.

Almost all medicine in Afghanistan is imported from neighboring countries, such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Iran and Turkey.

However, the border crossings between Afghanistan and its neighbors were disrupted in the lead-up to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) takeover, and normal operations are yet to resume.

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Health

Afghan delegation heads to Turkey for medicine talks

Published

2 days ago

February 7, 2026

Ariana News

Naemullah Ayoubi, Director General of Drug and Health Products Regulation at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, has departed for Turkey on an official visit accompanied by a technical delegation.

The Ministry of Public Health said the delegation will hold meetings with officials from Turkey’s pharmaceutical regulatory authority and discuss a number of key issues related to the regulation of medicines and health products.

The delegation is also scheduled to visit several pharmaceutical manufacturing factories in Turkey.

According to the ministry, the visit aims to strengthen coordination between the two countries in the production and import of medicines, in order to ensure the availability of high-quality and affordable pharmaceuticals for people in Afghanistan in both the short and long term.

Health

Afghanistan opens first national cancer diagnosis and treatment hospital

Published

2 weeks ago

January 29, 2026

Ariana News

The Ministry of Public Health announced on Thursday that Afghanistan has inaugurated its first national hospital dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, marking a major step forward in the country’s healthcare services.

The facility, named the National Cancer Diagnostic and Therapeutic Hospital, has officially begun operations and will provide specialized care for cancer patients across the country.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Public Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali said the 200-bed hospital aims to offer hope and improved treatment options for patients suffering from cancer.

“Fortunately, we are jointly opening a 200-bed hospital for cancer patients, and we hope that this hospital will become a source of hope and healing for those in need,” Jalali said.

The minister added that specialized training programs will soon be launched at the hospital to educate and train domestic medical specialists. He noted that reforms have already been implemented to improve facilities and ensure better healthcare services.

Jalali also emphasized international cooperation in the project, saying that radiotherapy services will be introduced at the hospital with support from India. According to the ministry, India has so far provided $1 million in assistance, including 10 tons of medicines and medical equipment, to support cancer treatment in Afghanistan.

The opening of the hospital is expected to reduce the need for Afghan patients to seek costly cancer treatment abroad and improve access to specialized care inside the country.

Health

Pakistan becomes latest Asian country to introduce checks for deadly Nipah virus

Published

2 weeks ago

January 29, 2026

Ariana News

Authorities in Pakistan have ordered enhanced screening of people entering the country for signs of infections of the deadly Nipah virus after India confirmed two cases, adding to the number of Asian countries stepping up controls.

Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam have also tightened screening at airports, Reuters reported.

The Nipah virus can cause fever and brain inflammation and has a high mortality rate. There is also no vaccine. But transmission from person to person is not easy and typically requires prolonged contact with an infected individual.

“It has become imperative to strengthen preventative and surveillance measures at Pakistan’s borders,” the Border Health Services department said in a statement.

“All travelers shall undergo thermal screening and clinical assessment at the Point of Entry,” which includes seaports, land borders and airports, the department added.

The agency said travellers would need to provide transit history for the preceding 21-day period to check whether they had been through “Nipah-affected or high-risk regions”.

There are no direct flights between Pakistan and India and travel between the two countries is extremely limited, particularly since their worst fighting in decades in May last year.

In Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital’s health department on Wednesday also ordered the screening of incoming passengers at Noi Bai airport, particularly those arriving from India and the eastern state of West Bengal, where the two health workers were confirmed to have the virus in late December.

Passengers will be checked with body temperature scanners to detect suspected cases. “This allows for timely isolation, epidemiological investigation,” the department said in a statement.

That follows measures by authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city, who said they had tightened health controls at international border crossings.

India’s health ministry said this week that authorities have identified and traced 196 contacts linked to the two cases with none showing symptoms and all testing negative for the virus.

Nipah is a rare viral infection that spreads largely from infected animals, mainly fruit bats, to humans. It can be asymptomatic but it is often very dangerous, with a case fatality rate of 40% to 75%, depending on the local healthcare system’s capacity for detection and management, according to the World Health Organization.

The virus was first identified just over 25 years ago during an outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore, although scientists believe it has circulated in flying foxes, or fruit bats, for thousands of years.

The WHO classifies Nipah as a priority pathogen. India regularly reports sporadic infections, particularly in the southern state of Kerala, regarded as one of the world’s highest-risk regions for Nipah.

As of December 2025, there have been 750 confirmed Nipah infections globally, with 415 deaths, according to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which is funding a vaccine trial to help stop Nipah.