The Afghan health sector witnessed a range of problems in 2023 including a shortage of medical doctors, suspension of health assistance and a surge in positive cases of polio.

The female medical graduates were not allowed to take the exit exams, which helped them to further proceed in their careers.

In February 2023, Noria, a graduate student of Kabul University's medical faculty, said that she registered for the final exam a month and a half ago.

"The seven years we spent studying medicine were not simple years. Hearing this news is quite upsetting because we passed several challenging tests,” Noria said then.

Qalandar Ebad, Acting Minister of Public Health, in a visit to Uruzgan on November 25, 2023, said Afghanistan is currently facing a shortage of doctors and that the ministry is trying to request trained and professional doctors from abroad.

"Approximately 285 new centers are planned to be built," Qalandar Ebad said.

The positive cases of polio disease was another major problem for the Afghan health sector to overcome.

6 positive cases of polio were recorded in 2023- all of them in Nangarhar province.

At least 9 polio vaccination campaigns were launched in this year.

“In the eastern zone of the country, the campaign started on December 23 and will continue till 29. Our aim is to eradicate the virus in the country. In the eastern zone, which is more vulnerable to the disease, we expand the campaign and vaccinate children under ten as well,” Sharafat Zaman Amarkhel, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said on December 25, 2023.

However, the collection of drug addicts from the ruined areas and their treatment in the rehabilitation centers are considered positive efforts in the health sector last year.

According to the Counter Narcotic Department of the Interior Ministry, more than 95,000 drug addicts have been treated across the country.

“This year (2023), 95,000 drug addicts have been collected and sent to rehabilitation centers,” said Hassibullah Ahmadi, head of the office of counter-narcotics of the Interior Ministry.

Many health and humanitarian organizations in their reports highlighted the concerns regarding children affected by malnutrition in Afghanistan.

“The Call to Action is released by the UN organization to ask for greater attention and greater investment to address the dramatic crisis of malnutrition, which we are seeing as a result of a combination of climate shocks, conflicts, economic downturns and COVID-19, which have increased the number of malnourished children,” Francesco Branca, Director, OOWHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, said last January.
 
The spokesperson of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in August that after this they will not pay the salaries of health workers and other expenses of these hospitals.

"This program was established to address urgent needs, and the main goal of the International Committee of the Red Cross was to allow officials to organize themselves to assume their responsibilities,” said Parwiz Ahmad Faizi, a spokesman for the organization.

However, some health projects were launched including the reconstruction and renewal of Jamhoriat.

In the opening ceremony of the reconstruction of Jamhuriat hospital, Qalandar Ebad said that they have undertaken the project in order to provide as many resources as possible in the health sector.

“Four billion dollars have been allocated to the project, of which 317 million will be spent on the construction of the hospital, and approximately more than two billion will be used to purchase medical equipment for the hospital,” said the acting Minister of Public Health.

The acting health minister also made several visits to various countries to discuss and draw assistance for the Afghan health sector including European countries.

The citizens have also expressed throughout the year their concerns over the low-quality medicine.

They called on officials to prevent the sale of low-quality drugs.

“If our medicine is of good quality, why should we go to Pakistan, and why should we benefit a foreign land?” said Gelender Shah, a resident of Kabul.

In December last year, the Japanese embassy in Kabul signed a memorandum of understanding with the World Health Organization in Afghanistan to support two infectious diseases hospitals in Kabul.

“In the agreement, the Japanese government will provide approximately seven million dollars to the World Health Organization to reduce the mortality among patients due to infectious diseases to ensure the treatment capacities of the Infectious Diseases Hospital and Afghan Japan Hospital in Kabul…” said Takayushi Kormaya, the Japanese ambassador to Afghanistan.