Clinic closures push millions of Afghan children into acute malnutrition

Save the Children’s latest study reveals that acute malnutrition, also known as wasting, now impacts 3.7 million Afghan children under five, a figure that has risen 14 percent over the past four years. The surge aligns with the closure of about 600 essential health centers after international humanitarian contributions dropped dramatically, leaving half of the previously served 4 million people without care. The organization manages to keep 14 clinics open, providing services to roughly 10,000 residents in the mountainous north.

Contributing factors include a 74 percent funding gap, a 12 percent population increase since September 2023, and large-scale internal displacement caused by disasters and conflict. Ashish Damle, Save the Children’s country director, warned that the international community must act before more children reach a breaking point. The report underscores how limited aid and the Taliban’s restrictions on female staff have crippled service delivery.