Health services at the Afghan-Japan hospital, the only active hospital for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the country, are declining as the winter approaches, hospital officials said.

Hospital officials say that the number of people infected with COVID-19 is likely to increase as the winter approaches and the hospital does not have enough equipment and medicine to deliver services to patients.

According to the officials, if the hospital does not get the necessary supplies, they will face severe challenges in the winter.

“The contract between the Afghan-Japan hospital and Health-Net was a six-month contract that is about to end,” said Zalmai Raishtin, director of the Afghan-Japan hospital.

“We face shortages of medicine and health equipment at the hospital, and we lack fuel for the oxygen machines,” said Miranai Baratzai, head of the emergency department at the Afghan-Japan hospital.

According to the hospital officials, the employees of the hospital have not received salaries for a few months.

Meanwhile, a number of family members of the patents at the hospital said they have to buy medicine from private pharmacies because the hospital lacks medicines.

They also said the price of medicine has risen.

“The price of a package of medicine has reached 200 Afs to 300 Afs,” said Ali Yawar, a resident of Daikundi province whose wife has been at the hospital for over a month.

“There is no medicine left in the hospital, we buy medicine from outside,” said Reza Mahdiyar, another family member of a patient.

Despite concerns over the deteriorating situation of the country’s health system, so far no significant practical action has been taken by the international community and the international health organizations to address the challenges.