Save the Children has stated that the operations of 18 health centers supported by the organization in Afghanistan have been halted due to budget cuts.
In a statement released late yesterday (Tuesday, March 11), the organization warned that if immediate financial assistance is not received, another 14 centers will be closed within a few weeks.
Save the Children emphasized that the reduction in financial aid and the closure of treatment centers are putting Afghan children at risk.
The statement noted that the decline in foreign aid has forced the organization to suspend its programs for children suffering from malnutrition.
It further mentioned that just in January of this year, over 134,000 children received health services at 32 health centers supported by Save the Children in Afghanistan.
Additionally, Save the Children quoted one of its doctors in northern Afghanistan as saying: “People are disheartened by the reduction in aid. Currently, we are treating 135 children suffering from malnutrition. If this center closes, people will not be able to transfer their patients to a private health center. Our health center is the only option for them.”
The statement highlighted that 131 million children live in areas facing acute food crises worldwide.
It mentioned that approximately 35 children are born hungry every minute around the world.
Save the Children also stated in part of its announcement: “Children suffering from malnutrition are 11 times more likely to die from all diseases and common childhood illnesses than others.”
Alongside the warnings from Save the Children, Rosa Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, also reported the closure of over 200 health centers in the country.
Otunbayeva mentioned during a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan two days ago that these centers have been closed in the past month due to budget cuts in aid to Afghanistan.
She added that the reduction in aid funding in Afghanistan has limited assistance to approximately 1.8 million children suffering from malnutrition.
This comes at a time when concerns about the critical state of Afghanistan’s healthcare system, particularly in maternal and child health services, have increased due to restrictions imposed by the caretaker government on the education of women and girls in medical institutions.
