International Rescue Committee warns of possible collapse of Afghanistan’s healthcare system
The International Rescue Committee has warned in a recent report that more than 90 percent of health facilities in Afghanistan could be closed.
According to a report released by the committee, after the Taliban took control, despite the end of the conflict, the economy and public services in Afghanistan have collapsed and even the people do not have access to their basic needs.
The committee has warned that if the Afghan economy collapses, the humanitarian crisis in the country will worsen, warning that more than 90 percent of Afghanistan’s health facilities could be closed at 2022 if the situation continues.
The committee warned that Afghanistan, with 97 percent of the poor, would face widespread poverty by mid-2022, adding that if the international community did not pay attention to the crisis, Afghanistan would face food insecurity, malnutrition and a health crisis.
The committee said in a statement that under the previous government, some 30 million Afghans had access to health care through a World Bank-run program, but now feared that more than 90 percent of the country’s health centers would be closed and millions would be deprived of health care.
The committee also noted the Taliban’s restrictions on the employment and education of women and girls, the sale of young girls, and underage marriages, and said that women and girls were more vulnerable to gender-based violence in Afghanistan than ever before.
