WHO high-level visit to Afghanistan highlights urgent need to eradicate polio while protecting essential health services

Mirwais Regional Hospital, Kandahar, Afghanistan: Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy and Polio Oversight Board delegation members, including UNICEF Regional Director and KSRelief, visited the vaccination corner and joined health workers in vaccinating children. This reflects the joint commitment to reaching every child with life-saving vaccines and strengthening routine immunization.

9 July 2026, Kabul, Afghanistan - Dr Hanan Balkhy, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, has concluded a high-level visit to Afghanistan as part of a mission of the Polio Oversight Board. Dr Balkhy led the delegation comprising representatives from UNICEF, KSRelief and the Gates Foundation. The mission highlighted the urgent need to eradicate polio in one of only two countries where wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) remains endemic, while safeguarding essential health services and strengthening immunization amid declining global funding and growing pressure on Afghanistan's health system. The visit also reinforced the importance of protecting the significant health gains achieved in recent years.

"As one of only two countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic, Afghanistan is critical to ending polio once and for all. But achieving this goal goes hand in hand with strengthening primary health care, trusted health workers, effective surveillance and resilient health services. Sustained investment is vital to protect hard-won gains and improve the health and well-being of the Afghan people," said Dr Balkhy.

During the visit, Dr Balkhy and the delegation met with Afghan authorities, United Nations partners, donors, health workers and WHO teams in Kabul and Kandahar. Discussions focused on sustaining progress towards polio eradication, including reaching children who continue to be missed with vaccination, particularly in the South Region, while protecting essential health services amid growing financial pressures, strengthening routine immunization and ensuring that communities across Afghanistan have access to lifesaving care.

Relevant Afghan authorities reaffirmed their commitment to polio eradication and emphasized the urgent need to address declining health financing to sustain essential health services and maintain progress across the broader health sector.

The visit also underscored the scale of Afghanistan's humanitarian health challenges. Today, more than 22 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 14.4 million people in need of health services. Since January 2026, around 150 health facilities supported by humanitarian partners have suspended operations or closed because of funding shortages, limiting access to care for some of the country's most vulnerable communities. Meanwhile, the 2026 Health Cluster response remains critically underfunded, with only 17% of the required US$190.8 million received as of June 2026.

In Kandahar, Dr Balkhy visited Mirwais Regional Hospital alongside representatives of UNICEF, KSrelief and local health authorities. The hospital, one of Afghanistan's largest referral hospitals, is a vital lifeline for people across the southern region. With 650 functional beds, the hospital continues to provide lifesaving care to male and female patients despite serious operational and financial challenges. The delegation visited the female surgical ward, where postoperative patients were receiving care, as well as the WHO-supported Fistula centre, which provides free specialized treatment for women living with obstetric fistula.

The visit highlighted the need to sustain referral hospitals on which communities depend, and recognized WHO's support for emergency care, essential medicines and supplies, disease surveillance, mental health and specialized services. The delegation also met doctors, nurses and health workers whose dedication underscored the importance of continued investment in Afghanistan's health workforce.

"Across Kabul and Kandahar, we saw that health work begins in communities," said Dr Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO Representative to Afghanistan. "WHO will continue working with health authorities, donors, UN partners and health workers to keep services available, protect children through immunization and bring care closer to families across the country."

WHO remains committed to supporting Afghanistan's health priorities, including primary health care, polio eradication, immunization, disease surveillance and other essential health services. Sustained international support remains critical to maintaining these gains and ensuring access to lifesaving care for millions of people across the country.