Afghanistan: Is Being Born a Girl Becoming a Curse?

For many Afghan women, reaching a hospital during pregnancy has become a dangerous journey. In several parts of Afghanistan, health centres have closed or reduced services after international funding was withdrawn, forcing pregnant women to travel much farther for emergency care. For some, the journey has ended before they could reach a functioning hospital.

A new report by Refugees International has brought the human cost of those disruptions into focus. The organisation says it documented at least 161 high-confidence, preventable deaths associated with disruptions to healthcare following cuts in US assistance. The cases included 80 maternal deaths, 30 newborn or fetal deaths, 14 deaths among children and 26 adult deaths. Refugees International stressed that the figure is not an estimate of the nationwide death toll, but a conservative minimum based on cases it was able to verify.The situation is particularly concerning for mothers and newborns. Refugees International surveyed 555 healthcare professionals across 30 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and examined information from more than 320 hospitals and health facilities. More than two-thirds of midwives who responded said they had lost their jobs following the US funding cuts.

The effects can be seen inside hospitals as well. In Nangarhar, neonatal mortality at six district hospitals increased by nearly 60 percent in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to the report. In Farah province, neonatal deaths at the provincial hospital rose sharply even as the number of institutional deliveries increased.

One case highlighted in the research involved a newborn at Nangarhar Regional Hospital who needed continuous oxygen after being admitted with serious complications. The hospital’s oxygen plant was no longer functioning, while maintenance of critical equipment had reportedly stopped following the loss of funding. The child subsequently

The funding shock has also affected basic healthcare infrastructure. According to Refugees International, the Trump administration terminated more than $1.7 billion in assistance connected to Afghanistan in January 2025, placing additional pressure on a health system that had relied heavily on international support for years.

For people living outside major cities, the consequences can be even more severe. When local clinics shut down, pregnant women may have to travel for hours to reach a hospital. A lack of transport, shortages of trained staff and reduced access to medicines can turn what would normally be a manageable medical emergency into a life-threatening situation.

Afghanistan’s healthcare system was already under enormous pressure. Years of conflict, economic hardship, displacement, malnutrition and restrictions affecting women have left millions dependent on humanitarian assistance. The withdrawal of major funding has added another layer of difficulty to an already fragile system.

The impact is not limited to patients. Healthcare workers have also faced widespread job losses. Refugees International reported that 329 of the 555 healthcare workers surveyed said their facilities had closed, while many others reported that their workplaces were at risk of shutting down. The organisation said more than two in five respondents personally knew someone who had died after being unable to access healthcare disrupted by funding cuts.

The report has reignited debate over the consequences of the US decision to reduce humanitarian assistance. US officials previously disputed claims that aid cuts had caused deaths, while Refugees International says its latest research provides evidence linking disruptions in healthcare services to specific preventable deaths.

For Afghan mothers and children, however, the argument is far removed from international politics. It is about whether a clinic has a working oxygen machine, whether a midwife is available, whether medicine is in stock and whether an ambulance can reach a hospital in time.

The latest findings underline how quickly the loss of funding can reach the most vulnerable people. In a country where healthcare has depended heavily on international assistance, the closure of even one small facility can mean the difference between receiving treatment and being left without help when every minute matters.