OCHA Warns Millions of Afghans Face Reduced Access to Healthcare

DID Press: United Nations has warned that funding shortages are disrupting the operations of health facilities and nutrition centres across Afghanistan, forcing some to close or suspend services and making it increasingly difficult for millions of people to access essential healthcare.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said residents of remote areas were bearing the greatest burden, with some people forced to travel long and dangerous distances to receive medical treatment.

OCHA stressed the need for sustained financial support, warning that urgent healthcare needs cannot wait for funding to become available.

According to the agency, around one-third of nutrition centres across Afghanistan have closed or suspended operations because of cuts in humanitarian funding.

Olga Cherevko, an OCHA spokesperson, said at a UN press briefing on October 20 that more than four million children aged between six months and five years in Afghanistan were expected to need treatment for acute malnutrition in 2027. Of these, approximately 1.1 million are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

A joint assessment by UNICEF and Action Against Hunger also estimates that 4.04 million children under five will require treatment for acute malnutrition next year, the highest figure recorded in the past five years.

OCHA has also warned that food insecurity is expected to worsen during the coming winter. According to the agency, 15.9 million people—nearly one-third of Afghanistan’s population—faced crisis-level or worse food insecurity in September and October.

That number is projected to rise to 19.2 million between November 2026 and April 2027, including five million people expected to face emergency levels of hunger.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that at least 422 primary healthcare facilities, including mobile health and nutrition teams, were closed in 2025 because of funding shortages. The closures affected access to healthcare services for approximately 3.3 million people.

OCHA has appealed for $1.7 billion in funding to address the humanitarian needs of 17.5 million people in Afghanistan in 2026. However, the agency said that only slightly more than one-third of the required funding had been secured so far.