Afghanistan International: Under the directive, all members of a surgical team must be either entirely male or entirely female, and mixed-gender teams are prohibited. The order states that a patient’s gender will not be considered when assigning surgical staff. The new order has raised concerns about the ability of Afghanistan’s healthcare system to provide adequate
8am: For Kabul residents, noise pollution is more than a nuisance; it is a serious threat to human health. Constant exposure to loud sounds can harm both physical and mental well-being. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Three months after the Taliban ordered a halt to pharmaceutical trade with Pakistan, medicine prices in Kabul have risen by as much as 40 precent, according to pharmacy owners and market sources. Formal medicine imports have largely stopped, and many drugs are now entering the market through smuggling routes. Click here to read
Khaama: Public Health Ministry announced Monday a polio vaccination campaign has begun across 18 provinces targeting 7.3 million children under age five throughout Afghanistan. Ministry spokesperson Sharaf Zaman Amarkhel stated the campaign is underway in Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Badghis, Herat, Kunduz, Faryab, Balkh, Zabul, Uruzgan, Helmand, and Kandahar provinces.
8am: The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the opening of a 70-bed hospital for cancer patients in Kabul, which will provide services such as chemotherapy, cancer surgery, radiology, and laboratory services. The organization wrote on its X page on Thursday, January 29, 2026, that with the support of the European Union in Afghanistan, the
Amu: Noor Jalal Jalali, the Taliban health minister, said on Tuesday that the country is seeking to reduce its reliance on medicines imported from Pakistan, which he said previously supplied up to 70% of Afghanistan’s pharmaceutical market. Taliban stopped the imports of medicines from Pakistan in November after heightened tensions with the neighboring country. Click
8am: Many residents of Kabul say that stray dogs have become increasingly common on roads and in neighborhoods, especially in outlying areas. People describe how these dogs roam the streets early in the morning and late at night, spreading fear and constant anxiety. Children and older people face the greatest danger, they say, and some
Amu: More than 17 million people in Afghanistan are facing acute food insecurity this winter as hunger and malnutrition deepen across the country, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said on Tuesday, warning that funding cuts are limiting life-saving assistance. New data from the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report shows that
8am: Residents across Ghazni province speak with deep worry about the industrial factories operating inside their neighborhoods. They say the rapid spread and constant work of these factories have filled the air with poison and pushed many families into serious health problems. Those who live closest to the factories suffer the most and pay the
Amu: An estimated 1.5 million people in Afghanistan are living with significant disabilities, many of them the result of decades of conflict, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Wednesday to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Aid organizations also warn that women and girls with disabilities face added risks because