Health Crisis in Afghanistan: 14M in Urgent Need of Medical Services

DID Press: International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that approximately 14 million people in Afghanistan urgently require access to health services, highlighting the severity of the country’s humanitarian and medical crisis.

On Tuesday, coinciding with World Health Day, the organization stressed that healthcare must be treated as a fundamental right rather than a privilege—especially for vulnerable communities facing displacement, poverty, and limited access to medical facilities.

In recent months, IOM has worked to provide emergency and life-saving health services to many Afghan returnees from abroad.

The report notes that numerous displaced families and returnees, particularly in border provinces and remote areas, face severe shortages of clinics, medicines, medical equipment, and healthcare personnel.

Relief agencies warn that these gaps hinder timely and reliable access to care for patients, pregnant women, children, and individuals with chronic or urgent health conditions.

Afghanistan’s healthcare system, weakened by years of war, economic strain, budget shortfalls, and recurring crises, remains under extreme pressure, leaving many health centers unable to meet rising demands.

The IOM’s latest warning underscores the urgent need for sustained funding and broad support for the health sector, as millions of Afghans continue to rely on humanitarian aid for survival.