The International Rescue Committee (IRC) expressed concerns over the Afghan crisis and warned that over 90 percent of the Afghan health care centers are on verge of collapse.  

The collapse of the health care centers, the IRC said, is “depriving millions of basic care, threatening the COVID-19 response and creating a major risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition and preventable deaths.”

The IRC in a report highlighted the “growing” humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.  

“Afghanistan rises to the top of Watchlist as the population increasingly cannot meet basic needs and the economy and public services collapse, despite the end of major conflict,” the report said.  

The report underscored that the suspension of international donors’ funding and the freezing of Afghan assets caused the closing of health centers and an economic meltdown amid drought, hunger and COVID-19.  

“A cash shortage means Afghans are running out of money while prices of basic items—from food to medicine—are skyrocketing. Afghanistan could see near universal poverty by mid-2022, with 97% of Afghans impoverished, according to the United Nations. Unaddressed, this economic crisis will drive up humanitarian needs, from food insecurity and malnutrition to health crises,” the report reads.  

Officials from the Ministry of Public Health on Saturday rejected the possibility of 90 percent of health facilities in the country closing, while acknowledging challenges in the health sector. The officials urged international health organizations to support Afghanistan’s health sector.