AGP Executive Report

Women’s Medical Training: A pro-Taliban cleric has challenged the ban on women’s medical education, arguing that training female doctors and midwives may be a religious obligation when communities need their care. Child Nutrition: More than 4 million Afghan children are expected to need treatment for acute malnutrition in 2027, as food insecurity deepens. Health Services: Around 700 health facilities face closure amid funding cuts, while 13 facilities have shut in Helmand, leaving communities with fewer options for care. Medicine Supply: Afghanistan has begun a $30 million expansion of a western pharmaceutical plant.

Health Services: The UN warns that more than 700 of Afghanistan’s 1,900 primary healthcare facilities could close, while 13 facilities in Helmand have already shut amid reports of corruption and discriminatory treatment. Residents say closures are leaving families, especially women, children and people with chronic illnesses, with fewer affordable care options. Nutrition: UNICEF reports acute child malnutrition has risen to 12% as food insecurity deepens. Disease Risks: Health authorities face concerns over rising dengue cases in eastern Afghanistan, while polio remains a cross-border threat. Medicine Supply: A $30 million expansion of a pharmaceutical plant in Herat aims to increase local production and reduce reliance on imported medicines.

Clinic Closures: Taliban inspectors have shut 13 health facilities and pharmacies in Helmand. Local sources allege corruption and discriminatory enforcement. Polio Response: A joint Pakistan-Afghanistan campaign helped vaccinate nearly 24 million children, with about 200,000 workers involved in Pakistan. WHO says sustained vaccination and cross-border cooperation are vital. Child Nutrition: UNICEF reports acute malnutrition affects 12% of children in Afghanistan, as food insecurity deepens. The UN also warns that more than 700 health facilities are at risk of closure. Access to Care: Limited healthcare is pushing some Afghan women toward herbal remedies. In Kabul, residents are also calling for urgent action on drug addiction, as damage to a major rehabilitation hospital has further strained treatment services.

Medical Education: Pakistan’s Balochistan High Court has temporarily allowed 16 Afghan medical students to resume classes and stay in university housing until November 24. Their visa status remains unresolved, and students fear missing exams. Addiction Care: Kabul residents are calling for treatment and support for people with drug dependence. Damage to the Omid rehabilitation hospital has added pressure to already limited services. Child Nutrition: The UN says acute child malnutrition in Afghanistan has risen to 12% amid deepening food insecurity. Health Services: More than 700 health facilities are at risk of closure, threatening access to care, especially for women. WHO has also reported rising dengue cases in eastern Afghanistan, while Pakistan’s ninth polio case this year has renewed concern about cross-border spread.

Health Services: The UN warns that funding cuts could close or disrupt more than 700 of Afghanistan’s 1,900 primary-care facilities, putting basic care further out of reach. Humanitarian funding has fallen to $570 million so far in 2026, down from $2 billion in 2023. Child Nutrition: UNICEF reports acute malnutrition among children under five rose to 12% in the third quarter, from 9.3% the previous quarter; 16 provinces now face critical levels. Women’s Health: Women in remote areas say high treatment costs and limited access to clinics are driving them to use herbal remedies for menstrual pain, postpartum problems and infertility. Disease Watch: WHO has warned of rising dengue cases in eastern Afghanistan, while Pakistan reports a growing polio threat linked to the Afghan outbreak. Road Safety: Seven people died and two were injured when a car and a three-wheeler plunged into a river in Laghman province.

Health Funding: The UN warns that around 700 of Afghanistan’s 1,900 primary healthcare facilities could close amid steep aid cuts, threatening basic care for millions. Women’s Health: High treatment costs and poor access are pushing some women in remote areas to use family-recommended herbal remedies for menstrual pain, postpartum problems and infertility. Disease Watch: WHO reports rising dengue cases in eastern Afghanistan, while recent reports also flag seasonal illnesses and poor-quality medicines in Kabul. Health Services: Work has begun on a hospital in eastern Afghanistan, and EU support is set to strengthen diagnostic services in Bamyan.

Health Services: The UN says more than 700 health facilities closed across Afghanistan between 2025 and 2026 as humanitarian funding fell to $570 million this year, limiting access to essential care. It warns needs could rise sharply in 2027 as aid declines and more Afghans return. Polio: Afghanistan’s 50 cases are raising cross-border concerns; Pakistani officials say 40–50% of their recent cases may be linked to the virus circulating in Afghanistan. Disease Prevention: WHO urges families to remove standing water and clean containers as dengue cases rise in eastern Afghanistan. Local Care: Construction has begun on a 30-bed hospital in Wardak province, offering maternal and child healthcare, vaccination and physiotherapy. Women’s Health: The ICRC says women and girls face barriers to healthcare and nutrition support, while restrictions on women’s movement and training female health workers further limit access.

Healthcare Access: A new 30-bed hospital under construction in Wardak will provide maternal and child care, vaccinations and physiotherapy to nearby communities. The project comes as the UN says 700 primary health centres have closed over the past year, with aid funding sharply reduced and humanitarian needs expected to rise in 2027. Dengue: Cases are rising in eastern Afghanistan, where two young men have died. WHO urged residents to remove standing water and regularly clean or empty containers where mosquitoes breed. Polio: Afghanistan’s outbreak is fuelling cross-border concern: health officials report 50 cases in the country and say the virus is linked to cases in Pakistan. Vaccination campaigns are underway in both countries. Specialist Care: Taliban authorities’ suspension of corneal transplant surgeries has raised concerns about patients’ access to treatment.

Polio: Pakistan reports more than 22.1 million children vaccinated in the first four days of its campaign, coordinated with Afghanistan’s drive to protect children and curb cross-border transmission. Afghanistan’s campaign aims to reach 12.8 million children. Returning Afghans: UNHCR says 6.7 million people have returned since 2020, adding pressure to strained services; many struggle to access healthcare, housing and work. Dengue: WHO warns cases are rising in eastern Afghanistan, where two young men have died. Hunger and health services: UNICEF says 19.2 million Afghans face acute hunger this winter, while OCHA warns funding shortfalls threaten access to healthcare. Winter concerns: Kabul residents report seasonal illness and worries about poor-quality medicines.

Dengue Alert: WHO reports rising dengue cases in eastern Afghanistan; two young men have died in Nangarhar as infections increase. Polio: Pakistan’s ninth case of 2026, in a seven-month-old from Khyber, was linked to virus strains circulating in Afghanistan. Both countries are running vaccination campaigns, with Afghanistan targeting 12.8 million children. Care Under Strain: Funding shortages are forcing Afghan health facilities to cut services or close, while humanitarian agencies warn of worsening conditions in the south. Hunger and Malnutrition: UNICEF says 19.2 million Afghans face acute hunger this winter, as reports warn that more than 40% of women and children face malnutrition. Diagnostic Support: The EU is backing efforts to strengthen diagnostic services in Bamyan.

Polio Alert: Pakistan’s ninth polio case this year was linked to virus strains circulating in Afghanistan, underscoring the risk of cross-border spread. Both countries are running vaccination campaigns, with Afghanistan’s drive targeting 12.8 million children. Dengue Watch: WHO warned of rising dengue cases in eastern Afghanistan. Two young men have died in Nangarhar, where residents cite limited care and medicine shortages. Health Access: Funding shortfalls are forcing Afghan health facilities to cut services or close, while the UN warns of worsening hunger and malnutrition in the south. Diagnosis: WHO and the EU are supporting stronger diagnostic services in Bamyan; doctors in Kabul also warn that osteoporosis often goes unnoticed until a fracture.

Dengue: Two young men have died of dengue in Nangarhar as cases rise, raising concern as winter approaches. Polio: Afghanistan has launched a vaccination drive targeting 12.8 million children; UNICEF says 12.7 million children have already been vaccinated. Access to Care: Taliban authorities have suspended corneal transplant surgeries, prompting concern about patients’ access to treatment. Funding shortages are also forcing health facilities to cut services or close, while OCHA says Afghanistan’s aid response faces a $1.2 billion gap. Hunger and Health: UNICEF warns 19.2 million Afghans could face acute hunger this winter, worsening malnutrition risks for children and families. Diagnostics: The EU is supporting WHO efforts to strengthen diagnostic services in Bamyan.

Malnutrition and Hunger: OCHA says hospitals in southern Afghanistan are overcrowded as severe malnutrition drives more admissions, while poverty deepens and aid resources shrink. UNICEF warns 19.2 million Afghans face acute hunger this winter. Healthcare Access: Funding shortages are forcing facilities to cut services or close, with OCHA warning of a $1.2 billion gap in the aid response. Polio Prevention: Afghanistan has launched a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting 12.8 million children, as officials urge immunization for every child under five. Disease and Diagnostics: Two young men have died of dengue in Nangarhar as cases rise; separately, WHO and the EU are supporting stronger diagnostic services in Bamyan.

Winter Hunger: UNICEF says 19.2 million Afghans could face acute food insecurity this winter, including about 5 million facing emergency levels. Child malnutrition is worsening, with 4 million young children expected to need treatment. Diagnostics: WHO and the EU are backing efforts to strengthen diagnostic services in Bamyan. Polio Prevention: Afghanistan has launched a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting 12.8 million children, as health authorities urge immunization for every child under five. Health Services: Funding shortages are forcing facilities to cut services or close, while rising medicine prices and shortages are making treatment harder to afford. Dengue: Two young men have died of dengue in Nangarhar as cases rise.

Polio Vaccination: Afghanistan’s nationwide campaign is targeting 12.8 million children under five as the country reports 42 polio cases this year. Health Services Under Pressure: Funding shortages are forcing facilities to cut services or close, the UN warns, threatening access to care across the country. Dengue: Two young men have died in Nangarhar as cases rise in the east. Diagnostics: WHO and EU support is helping Bamyan’s molecular laboratory expand testing for hepatitis, COVID-19 and other infections, improving access to early diagnosis and treatment.

Polio Campaign: Afghanistan has launched a nationwide drive to vaccinate 12.8 million children, as the virus remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In neighboring Pakistan, gunmen killed two officers assigned to protect vaccinators. Health Funding: OCHA says only 30% of Afghanistan’s $1.71 billion humanitarian response target was funded by August. Funding cuts are forcing health facilities to reduce services or close, leaving some remote communities far from care. Medicines: Authorities destroyed nearly 1,000 tonnes of expired and substandard medicines and cosmetics. Meanwhile, high prices and shortages of essential drugs are making treatment harder to afford. Dengue: Two young men have died of dengue in eastern Afghanistan as cases rise.