Edwin Ceniza Salvador, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Representative in Afghanistan, revealed in an exclusive interview with TOLOnews that 33% of Afghanistan’s population still lacks access to healthcare services.
He further explained that budget constraints have forced the closure of 226 healthcare centers previously supported by the WHO in Afghanistan.
Speaking about the healthcare gap, Salvador stated: “About 67% of the population currently has access, which means that about 33% of the population do not have access to the health services. And these are, like I mentioned, most people in the rural areas and most that are geographically difficult to access in winter seasons.”
Salvador pointed out that decades of continuous challenges have left Afghanistan’s healthcare system fragile, requiring a structural approach to address its issues. Reflecting on the impact of the 2021 political transition, he noted that many Afghan doctors have since left the country.
“There was a change in 2021. We’ll have to, number one, build again the capacity of the people who are remaining in the country. Number two, to see if some of the people who are abroad will be able to come back, so that they will be able to at least help the people back in their country,” Salvador said.
The WHO representative emphasized ongoing efforts to train midwives and underscored the need to support healthcare workers, particularly female doctors and nurses, across Afghanistan.
“The authorities, when I meet them, like when I visit the local authorities in the different provinces I’ve been, I basically said that now with the change that has been in place, we will come a time where we will run out of female midwives because the educational system has been impacted, you know, at the current state. The same for doctors. I basically also proposed and gave a scenario where I said, would you be comfortable where it is a male doctor treating your mother, your wife, your sister, your daughters, your aunties, and relatives,” Salvador warned.
In remote areas of Afghanistan, healthcare services remain inadequate, with many citizens unable to access even basic medical care. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Public Health has assured that efforts are underway to increase the number of healthcare centers throughout the country.
