Ministry of Public Health of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Reports Treating 3 Million for Malnutrition in Past Solar Year

The Ministry of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan reported treating three million children, breastfeeding mothers and pregnant women for malnutrition in the past solar year.

Spokesperson Sharafat Zaman Amarkhel said the ministry aims to produce nutritional materials domestically to reduce costs and provide timely care, while expanding treatment centers. "Our goal is to be able to produce nutritional materials inside the country, so that we can provide timely care to children and the materials that come to the country at a huge cost from other countries by institutions; we can produce them at a lower cost in the country and deliver them to patients," Amarkhel said. He added that preventive measures and public awareness campaigns are priorities to halt the disease's progression.

At the Child Health Hospital in Andaragandi, Kabul, families seek treatment for malnourished infants. Nine-month-old Mohammad was brought from Mazar-i-Sharif after his mother's death, with his grandmother Salima recounting how the child, initially healthy at four kilograms, deteriorated after being fed store-bought powdered milk. Another mother, Sadiqa, urged parents not to use powdered milk without medical advice to avoid hospitalization.

Nurse Tamana attributed rising cases partly to mothers' limited understanding, improper feeding and reliance on market milks.

UN-affiliated organizations warn that nearly 3.7 million children under five in Afghanistan will suffer acute malnutrition or require treatment in 2026. The World Food Program has cautioned that reduced global aid and the economic crisis could push the number of malnourished women and children to nearly five million that year.