23 September 2021 – WHO remains on the ground and is scaling up efforts to continue responding to the escalating health and humanitarian crisis unfolding across Afghanistan. The country’s already fragile health system is overwhelmed. The impacts of the pause of funding to the Sehatmandi project are already being felt. WHO is calling on...

Statement by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, and Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean on their visit to Kabul 22 September 2021 - We recently completed a high level mission to Kabul, Afghanistan, where we met with senior members of the Taliban leadership, UN...

Kabul/Cairo, 13 September 2021- An aircraft carrying around 23 metric tonnes of life-saving medicines and supplies from WHO landed in Kabul today at 13:30 local time. The shipment, which is among the first humanitarian aid to arrive at Kabul airport since operations were disrupted on 15 August, was flown by a Qatar Airways flight donated by the...

Cairo/Kabul, 6 September 2021 – A pause in funding for the Sehatmandi project – the backbone of Afghanistan’s health system – has left millions of vulnerable Afghans at risk of losing access to essential health care. The Sehatmandi project is the main source of health care in the country, provided through more than 20 000 health workers at 2309...

Kabul/Cairo, 30 August 2021 - A plane carrying WHO medicines and health supplies landed in Afghanistan today, 30 August, at 12:25 pm local time. This is the first shipment of medical supplies to land in Afghanistan since the country came under control of the Taliban authorities. “After days of non-stop work to find a solution, I am very pleased to...

Afghanistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative continues operations amid ongoing instability in the country 25 August 2021 – “Poliovirus circulation does not stop during conflicts, it does not stop during emergencies. If anything, it makes children and families even more vulnerable by adding a layer of risk”, says a Polio Provincial Officer from...

24 August 2021 – Since last week, WHO has made several assessments to review the health situation on the ground. Apart from the first few days of the political and security changes, most major health facilities are functional and accessible. This includes health facilities supported by WHO that are providing trauma care to injured patients....

Kabul, 26 July 2021 – Earlier today, WHO received a shipment of 500 oxygen concentrators procured in response to the critical shortage of oxygen for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Afghanistan. The shipment worth US$ 800 000, arrived by way of WHO’s logistics hub in Dubai was handed over to the Ministry of Public Health for distribution among COVID-19...

Kabul, Afghanistan, 9 July 2021 – Today, Afghanistan received 1.48 million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine through the COVAX Facility.  This delivery is the first of 2 shipments of a total of 3 312 100 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine allocated to Afghanistan through the COVAX Facility, with the remaining doses set to arrive later this month. ...

7 July 2021 – Almost a year and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic, Afghanistan is grappling with a substantial third wave with cases continuing to rise across the country. In response to mounting needs, the European Union (EU) Delegation in Kabul donated €15 million to support WHO’s efforts to tackle and mitigate the health and socioeconomic...