AGP Executive Report

Medicine Access: Patients in Afghanistan face soaring prices and shortages of essential drugs after imports from Pakistan were halted; some families say they can no longer afford treatment. Addiction Care: A Nangarhar charity is offering free treatment, food and medication to 40–50 people per intake at its Jalalabad centre. Maternal Health: Reports warn that mothers and babies are dying in Afghan hospitals as the health crisis worsens. Polio Prevention: UNICEF says 12.7 million children in Afghanistan have received polio vaccines, while a Kabul study examined parents’ beliefs and practices around vaccination. Eye Care: The Taliban’s ban on corneal transplants is raising concern for patients who need sight-saving surgery. Rural Services: Construction has begun on two hospitals in Kunar, as remote Badakhshan districts continue to report severe shortages of care.

Medicine Access: Afghan patients report soaring prices and shortages after medicine imports from Pakistan stopped; one family says a drug rose from 20 to 180 afghanis, forcing them to reduce and then stop treatment for heart disease and diabetes. Polio: UNICEF says 12.7 million children have been vaccinated, with a nationwide campaign due to start November 2; Afghanistan’s 2026 case count has reached 42. Winter Health: UNHCR warns that millions lack adequate shelter and warm clothing as winter approaches, leaving families to choose between heating, food and healthcare; children face heightened risks of pneumonia and other respiratory illness. Eye Care: A Taliban ban on corneal transplants has raised concerns for patients and halted a free sight-saving surgery programme.

Polio: UNICEF says 12.7 million children in Afghanistan have been vaccinated, with a nationwide campaign due to begin Nov. 2. Separately, virus detected in Rawalpindi sewage has prompted another vaccination drive there. Winter and Nutrition: OCHA warns 15.9 million people in Afghanistan face severe hunger, with more than four million young children expected to need malnutrition treatment in 2027. UNHCR says 4.2 million people need shelter support; families are already forced to choose between heating, food and healthcare, while cold raises risks of respiratory illness. Maternal Care: Women are dying amid clinic closures, shortages of staff and supplies, and long journeys for treatment. One report says maternal deaths have risen in Badakhshan, where women describe overcrowded wards and inadequate care. Barriers to Treatment: The Taliban’s ban on corneal transplants has halted sight-saving operations, including a free surgery programme. UN agencies also warn restrictions on women’s education and employment could leave Afghanistan short of 5,400 female health workers by 2030.

Hunger and Winter: OCHA says 15.9 million people in Afghanistan face severe hunger, with the situation expected to worsen this winter; more than four million young children may need malnutrition treatment in 2027. Maternal Care: Afghan hospitals report rising maternal and newborn deaths amid clinic closures, staff shortages and lack of medicines and equipment. One woman dies every two hours during pregnancy or childbirth, according to the report. Eye Care: The Taliban’s ban on corneal transplants has raised alarm for patients and stopped a free eye-surgery programme. Care for Returnees: UNAMA chief Rabab Fatima visited a WHO-run health centre at the Omari Returnee Camp in Torkham, where staff provide care to returning migrants. Health Facilities: Construction has begun on two hospitals in Kunar, while remote Badakhshan communities continue to face severe shortages and untreated patients. Polio: WHO reports six new cases, bringing Afghanistan’s 2026 total to 42; UNICEF says vaccines must reach every child.

Eye Care: Taliban authorities have reportedly halted corneal transplants, putting sight-restoring treatment out of reach for patients; doctors say 90 procedures had been performed in Kabul before the restrictions. New Hospitals: Construction has begun on hospitals in Khas Kunar and Asmar, with 110.3 million Afghanis allocated for the projects to improve local access to care. Health Access: Remote Badakhshan communities report severe shortages, while the return of 4.9 million Afghans is adding pressure to already strained services. Polio Response: Afghanistan’s 2026 total has reached 42 cases, and UNICEF says vaccines must reach every child as gaps and reported interference threaten eradication efforts. Humanitarian Crisis: UN agencies warn that funding shortfalls are worsening needs, including malnutrition and limited access to essential care.

Food and Health: Afghan poppy cultivation more than quadrupled this year as farmers struggle to earn enough from legal crops; one Balkh father told Reuters his children are malnourished. Polio Watch: WHO reported six new cases, bringing Afghanistan’s 2026 total to 42. UNICEF has warned that vaccination efforts face interference in Helmand and that many children remain unreached. Blocked Eye Care: Taliban authorities have banned corneal transplants, leaving donated corneas and a free surgery programme unused, according to reports. Care Gaps: Patients in remote Badakhshan are going untreated amid severe shortages, while the return of millions of Afghans is straining essential services. A new WHO medical centre in Nimroz aims to support returnees.

Sight-Saving Care: The Taliban have halted corneal transplants, suspending a charity-backed programme in Kabul and Jalalabad and leaving patients with damaged vision waiting for treatment. Health Workers: In Kandahar, officials have ordered healthcare workers to avoid tight clothing during surgery. Polio: Afghanistan’s 2026 tally has reached 42 cases, while UNICEF urges vaccination of every child and reports of interference in Helmand raise concerns about access. Care Shortages: Patients report shortages of free medicines at public hospitals, and residents of remote Badakhshan say people are going untreated. Returning Families: WHO has opened a medical centre for returnees in Nimroz as millions come home and essential services face growing pressure.

Sight-saving Care: Taliban authorities have halted corneal transplants in Kabul and Jalalabad, calling the operations impermissible. The ban threatens access to treatment for hundreds of patients, despite a free surgery program. Women’s Healthcare: In Kandahar, officials reportedly ordered male guardians for female patients and sought to limit male doctors’ presence during operations on women, adding barriers to care. Polio Response: Afghanistan’s 2026 total has reached 42 cases. UNICEF urges vaccination for every child, while reports of Taliban interference in Helmand raise concern for campaigns. Essential Services: WHO has opened a medical center for returnees in Nimroz as arrivals strain services. The UN says 15.9 million people need water and sanitation support, while remote Badakhshan communities report severe healthcare shortages.

Medicine Access: Taliban authorities ordered Kandahar pharmacies to stop selling Pakistani medicines and plan to collect and burn remaining stocks, despite warnings that local producers cannot replace the supply. Sight-Saving Care: A Taliban order has halted corneal transplants, cutting off treatment for people with trauma-related blindness; Kabul doctors say 90 operations were performed before the ban and a waiting list is growing. Returnee Care: WHO opened an EU-funded emergency center at Nimroz’s Milak crossing, providing urgent treatment and referrals as hundreds return daily from Iran. Polio: Six new cases brought Afghanistan’s 2026 total to 42. UNICEF and Rotary are urging vaccination for every child. Healthcare Gaps: Badakhshan residents report shortages of clinics, specialist doctors and medicines, leaving some patients facing costly journeys or unable to reach care in time. Humanitarian Pressure: Nearly 4.9 million refugees returned between 2023 and 2025, straining essential services; Kuwait pledged $2.5 million for Afghanistan’s humanitarian response.

Remote Care: Residents of Badakhshan report shortages of health centres, specialist doctors and medicine, with difficult roads and high costs preventing patients from reaching treatment. Returnee Pressure: More than 4.9 million Afghans returned between 2023 and 2025, adding demand to already strained health and other essential services. Humanitarian Crisis: Aid agencies say 21.9 million people need assistance, but only about 31% of required funding has been secured; child malnutrition is worsening, while 15.9 million people need water and sanitation support. Polio Watch: Afghanistan’s 2026 total has reached 42 cases, and reports of vaccination interference in Helmand raise concern as health workers urge continued immunisation. Medicines: The Health Ministry licensed 55 pharmaceutical facilities in September and October, while patients continue to report shortages of free medicines at public hospitals.

Humanitarian emergency: 21.9 million people in Afghanistan need aid, but only 31% of required funding had been secured by September. Child malnutrition is worsening, with 3.7 million children under five affected. Polio: WHO reports 42 cases in 2026. Vaccination efforts face reported interference in Helmand, while a polio survivor in Nangarhar is urging hesitant families to immunize their children. Medicines and care: Patients say shortages force them to buy medicines and supplies outside public hospitals. Experts are calling for clear computerized prescriptions using generic drug names; the Health Ministry says it licensed 55 pharmaceutical facilities and is stepping up action against smuggling. Water and mental health: UNICEF says 15.9 million people will need water, sanitation and hygiene services this year. Afghanistan’s Health Ministry reports more than 2.2 million people received mental health services last year, while WHO says stigma and limited awareness still keep many people from addiction treatment.

Polio Alert: WHO reports six new cases, bringing Afghanistan’s 2026 total to 42, though the Health Ministry describes them as suspected. A Nangarhar survivor who contracted polio as a toddler is offering to visit vaccine-hesitant families and urge them to immunise their children. Mental Health: More than 2.2 million people received mental health services last year, but officials say access and service quality still need to improve. Healthcare Access: Patients report having to buy medicines and supplies outside public hospitals, while residents of remote Tala wa Barfak say shortages of specialists and equipment force dangerous journeys for care. Nutrition: UN reporting points to a deepening crisis, with funding shortages forcing the closure of a third of the country’s nutrition centres.

Child Malnutrition: UNICEF is routing aid through a logistics hub in Termez, Uzbekistan, as disrupted supply routes complicate deliveries. About 3.7 million Afghan children are malnourished, including one million with severe acute malnutrition; funding shortages have also closed a third of the country’s nutrition centres. Polio: Afghanistan has recorded 42 cases in 2026. Health advocates are urging families to vaccinate every child and close immunisation gaps. Maternal Mental Health: Doctors warn postpartum depression is often missed amid stigma, limited services and weak family support, and call for early detection and counselling. Addiction Care: WHO has trained 551 health workers to improve treatment for people with drug-use disorders.

Polio Emergency: Afghanistan has recorded 42 polio cases in 2026, including six new cases in the past week. Five-year-old Zahra has been paralyzed for two years after missing vaccination because the vaccine was unavailable in her area. Health groups are urging families to immunize every child and close gaps in access. Healthcare Access: Construction has begun on a 30-bed hospital in Arghandab, Zabul, to serve an underserved district; a second hospital is also being built in the province. Nutrition Crisis: Funding shortages have shut one-third of Afghanistan’s nutrition centres, as more than 30 malnourished children are treated monthly in Herat. WHO has also trained 551 health workers to improve addiction treatment.

Polio Emergency: Afghanistan has recorded 42 polio cases this year, including six newly confirmed infections. Five-year-old Zahra was left unable to walk after missing vaccination; health groups urge families to immunise every child. Health Services: Construction has begun on a 30-bed hospital in Zabul’s Arghandab district, expanding access to care in an underserved area. Nutrition Crisis: Funding shortages have shut one-third of Afghanistan’s nutrition centres as millions face hunger; Herat health workers treat more than 30 malnourished children each month. Mental Health: WHO says it has provided mental health services to more than one million Afghans and trained 551 health workers to treat addiction.

Hospital Access: Construction has begun on a 30-bed hospital in Zabul’s Arghandab district, costing 59 million afghanis, with another facility also planned in the province. Polio: On World Polio Day, Afghanistan Free of Polio urged families to vaccinate children. WHO reports 42 cases in Afghanistan this year, underscoring the need to reach every child. Climate and Child Health: UNICEF says Afghan children face overlapping climate threats, including drought, floods and heatwaves that disrupt access to safe water, healthcare and sanitation. Essential Services: The EU has allocated €12 million for health and water services in Afghanistan, as one-third of the country’s nutrition centres have reportedly closed because of funding shortages. Health Workforce: WHO has trained 551 health workers to improve addiction treatment across the country.