Herat Residents Report Rising Prices of Iranian and Pakistani Medicines
Herat residents have complained about sharp increases in the prices of medicines imported from Iran and Pakistan, which they say have become unaffordable amid a weak economy.
Local residents attributed the price hikes for Pakistani medicines to border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, which led to a ban on imports and made the drugs hard to obtain. The closures at the Pakistan border have also prevented patients from traveling abroad for treatment.
Prices of Iranian medicines have similarly risen due to the war in Iran, with residents citing examples such as one drug increasing from 80 afghanis to 200 afghanis. Essential medicines are now scarce in local pharmacies.
These developments have worsened access to health services in Herat, where pre-existing problems in the health sector were already significant. Residents said patients unable to afford treatments or travel are left without options.
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