RASC News Agency: In a recent report, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has depicted a grim picture of the situation facing malnourished children in Afghanistan. The report indicates that the factors contributing to malnutrition remain prevalent, and Afghanistani citizens are struggling to access both primary and emergency healthcare services.
Doctors Without Borders stated that Afghanistan’s bleak economic situation suggests that while many people might have previously afforded treatment in private clinics, they are now reliant on international aid-supported health centers. The organization emphasized that the Afghanistani people are in dire need of support.
According to MSF’s report, many people either lack access to healthcare facilities or are forced to travel long distances, incurring significant costs and time to reach distant clinics. In the provinces of Herat, Kandahar, and Helmand, MSF is implementing nutritional therapy programs to combat acute malnutrition and is working to increase patient intake capacity in its supported centers.
The report added that in 2023, the organization treated over 10,400 children under five years old in these three provinces. In the first four months of this year alone, MSF treated 2,416 children suffering from malnutrition, marking a five percent increase compared to the same period last year. MSF reported that its medical teams registered more than 6,900 malnourished children in their outpatient centers last year.
The report also noted that parents of malnourished children have expressed that they struggle to feed their families due to lack of funds. Nursing mothers stated that inadequate access to sufficient food hampers their ability to produce enough milk for their infants, adversely affecting the children’s health. It is noteworthy that international aid and the activities of international organizations have sharply decreased since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. The Taliban have no comprehensive plan to fill the resulting gaps.
This situation is exacerbated by the severe economic decline Afghanistan has experienced over the past three years. Unemployment and poverty have spread, and the sources of income for the people have dwindled.
