(MENAFN- Khaama Press) Child malnutrition has reached critical levels in Afghanistan's Badakhshan province, where doctors report one child dying every three days amid worsening food insecurity and collapsing healthcare.
A severe malnutrition crisis is gripping Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, where doctors say one child is dying every three days at the region's main public hospital. The worsening situation highlights the broader collapse of healthcare and food security across the country.

According to a report by Sky News on Tuesday, citing data from United Nations agencies, an estimated 4.7 million children and women in Afghanistan urgently need treatment for malnutrition. The report warned that the crisis is intensifying as economic hardship, poverty, and the suspension of international aid continue to cripple the country's already fragile health system.

Doctors at the provincial hospital in Badakhshan told Sky News that child deaths linked to malnutrition have surged dramatically in recent months. Since the beginning of this year, at least 53 children have died - a figure that represents a 50 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Many of these deaths, they said, could have been prevented with adequate nutrition support and medical supplies.

Health workers say the situation has worsened following the halt of U.S. and other international aid programs, which previously sustained much of Afghanistan's healthcare network. Hospitals are now facing severe shortages of medicine, staff, and equipment, leaving thousands of children at risk of starvation and preventable diseases.

UNICEF spokesperson Daniel Timme described the situation as“extremely alarming,” telling Sky News that more than 3.5 million children under five across Afghanistan suffer from acute malnutrition, including 1.4 million who are“dangerously thin.” UN data also shows that Badakhshan has the highest number of malnutrition cases among all Afghanistan provinces.

Aid organizations warn that the crisis could worsen in the coming months as winter approaches, cutting off access to remote regions where families rely on food deliveries. Without urgent international intervention, thousands more children could die from hunger-related illnesses.

Global humanitarian groups are calling for the immediate restoration of funding for Afghanistan's health and nutrition programs. They warn that the tragedy unfolding in Badakhshan is not isolated - it reflects a nationwide emergency born from economic collapse, aid cuts, and ongoing neglect. Without swift action, millions of Afghanistan children could face an increasingly desperate struggle for survival.

ShareFacebook Twitter WhatsApp Email Print Telegram

MENAFN07102025000228011069ID1110159897