COVID-19

Medicine supplies in Afghanistan at an all-time low, experts blame US for sanctions

Medicine supplies in Afghanistan at an all-time low due to US sanctions, leading to a healthcare crisis. COVID-19 and measles outbreaks require urgent intervention. Acute malnutrition is also a growing concern. The freezing of Afghan assets by the US has caused a scarcity of pharmaceuticals, with stocks expected to run out in two months. International funding cuts and Taliban restrictions on imports exacerbate the situation. US sanctions have severely impacted Afghanistan's healthcare system.

Medriva Newsroom

24 Dec 2022 03:08 EST

New Update

NULL

Advertisment

Health specialists in Afghanistan have issued a strong statement warning of an escalating crisis in the country's healthcare system, which has been compounded by a pharmaceutical scarcity tied to assets being frozen by the USA.

Advertisment

COVID-19 pandemic and measles outbreaks in the country require immediate intervention, according to medical experts.

Another health issue in Afghanistan has been identified as acute malnutrition.

President of the Medicine Service Union (AMASU), Assadullah Kakar, claimed that following the US withdrawal and the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan's bad healthcare system has gotten worse.

Advertisment

As a result of a dramatic increase in drug prices, Afghanistan is experiencing an unprecedented pharmaceutical scarcity, according to Kakar.

Kabul's press correspondent Rahmatullah Baghban was recently interviewed by Kakar and told him that the Afghan country will eventually finish its stocks of medicine unless quick action is taken.

Without action, "the country's medicinal stockpiles would run out of drugs in the next two months," he said.

Advertisment

International funding cuts and US sanctions are two of the primary causes of Afghanistan's worsening healthcare system and lack of drugs, according to Kakar.

"Medicine shortages stem from a variety of issues." Most nations have halted medical exports to Afghanistan, for obvious reasons. First and foremost, a significant portion of the drug importers' cash has been frozen.... As a last point, Kakar noted that the Taliban had placed restrictions on the importation of pharmaceuticals.

Hundreds of millions of dollars in Afghan assets have been frozen by the United States.

President Joe Biden's administration said that half of the $7 billion in Afghan cash held in US banks will be blocked and distributed to the families of 9/11 victims on American soil.

After the Taliban assumed control in Afghanistan from August 2021, it stated that the other half of the funds will be used for humanitarian help for the people of Afghanistan.

Advertisment