The officials of the Badakhshan provincial hospital say that the operation of this hospital's obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) department has been stopped due to the cutoff of aid from the World Health Organization (WFP).

According to them, with the closure of this department, about 73 specialists, midwives, doctors, and health workers have also become unemployed.

Shafiq Hamdard, the director of Badakhshan Provincial Hospital, said: "Our services, which were about 60 beds for the poor people of Badakhshan province, unfortunately, stopped working, and because of this, 73 of our employees, from doctors to nurses, became unemployed."

After the gynecology ward with 60 beds of the Badakhshan Provincial Hospital stopped operating, there are now 3 to 5 patients per bed seeking gynecology treatment.

The patient Narges said: "At night, 4 to 5 patients come here and they are hospitalized. We sit on the same bed, we don't have a good night's sleep."

Soheila, another patient, says: "We are not comfortable at all. It has been a day that we have 4 to 5 patients sleeping in one bed."

Several residents of Badakhshan are worried about the suspension of operations of the maternity ward of the provincial hospital.

Merajuddin Rahimi, a resident of Badakhshan, said: "The closure of the 60-bed hospital is a cause for concern because they come here from 28 administrative units and there are 30 beds here."

Rehmatullah, a resident of Badakhshan, said: "They are tired of this. You come from the district itself, you bring the patient here in three days, and there are not enough beds. Its closure is to our detriment."

But Badakhshan Department of Public Health pledged it is making efforts to address this challenge.

Najibullah Ghousi, head of public health in Badakhshan, said: "Various efforts have been made both at the provincial level and at the level of the Ministry of Public Health. "Meetings with donors have started since July 1."

The Badakhshan governor's media office said in a newsletter that they have discussed this issue with Roza Otunbayeva the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan.