Officials of the Ministry of Public Health said that only five of Khost's more than 700 hospitals, treatment centers, laboratories, and pharmacies had licenses, following the release of TOLOnews' story on the operations of unlicensed clinics.

According to a team from the health ministry that visited Khost province, if these medical centers do not get licenses within a month, they will be shut down.

“There are more than 700 clinics, hospitals, laboratories, radiology, and other health centers. We supervise not only in the center of Khost, but in the remote districts of Khost,” said Ahmad Khandan, head of the regulation and coordination department of the private sector of the Ministry of Public Health.

“We have told everyone, and all of them have promised that if they do not get the license within a month all of their centers will be blocked,” said Abdul Rahman Zahid, deputy director of Khost's public health deparrment.

Residents of Khost welcomed this action of the Ministry of Public Health, but they asked the authorities to continuously monitor the activities of the health centers in this province.

“Those clinics that do not have licenses, or those doctors that do not have permits, in fact these are playing with the lives of people. We ask the officials to filter it in a good way,” Mohammad Daud, a resident of Khost told TOLOnews.

“Clinics which do not have permits should be blocked,” said Zareen, another resident of Khost.

"There are some doctors in Khost who, when you visit them, give you all of the medications for another illness, they should be banned,” said Qadir Khostwal, a resident of Khost.