Vital health centres in Afghanistan are being forced to scale back or close because of funding cuts to humanitarian services, the United Nations aid coordination office has warned. In an alert on 2 November, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said remote communities face long and dangerous journeys to reach care.

Communities in Badakhshan province in the far northeast were singled out as an example of the problem. OCHA spokesperson Olga Cherevko described what she saw at Kishim District Hospital, where medical staff spoke of daily difficulties including shortages of essential supplies and resources and a worrying increase in malnutrition.

Nowhere else to turn

Cherevko said the hospital lacked the resources needed to provide adequate support to patients who depend on it, and stressed that often there is simply nowhere else left to turn. Staff described needs, particularly severe and extreme needs, as increasing in many parts of the country.

Afghanistan remains one of the world largest humanitarian crises, with nearly 22 million people needing assistance. Food is available but is too expensive for millions of Afghans, the UN agency said in a recent update, compounding the pressure on health services already stretched by shortages.

A wider funding squeeze

The warning comes as humanitarian agencies across Afghanistan face reduced funding, forcing choices about which services can stay open. Health centres in remote districts are among the most exposed, because patients there have few alternatives if a local facility closes or cuts its hours.

The alert does not give a national figure for closures; what it establishes is the direction of travel: fewer resources, rising malnutrition, and longer journeys for people in remote areas who need care.

Sources: UN News Today, 2 November 2026; OCHA alert as reported therein.