Afghanistan faces a staggering daily toll of 24 maternal deaths and 167 infant deaths due to preventable causes, according to a new report released Sunday by the World Health Organization.

The report underscores the continuing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, highlighting the multifaceted challenges that citizens endure daily.

“Afghan citizens face an unstable health system and the daily specter of food scarcity and malnutrition,” the WHO states. This crisis is further exacerbated by the burden of both communicable and noncommunicable diseases, frequent disease outbreaks, severe drought, and natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, the report stated.

The situation for Afghan women has particularly deteriorated, with limited access to education and livelihoods, WHO said.

The WHO report emphasizes that the need for humanitarian assistance has surged dramatically, adding that children and women bear the brunt of the health emergency.

“Preventable maternal mortality claims the lives of 24 mothers every day, and a staggering 167 infants die each day of preventable causes,” the WHO report highlights.

In addition, Afghanistan’s high level of food insecurity affects 15.8 million people, WHO stated.

Polio also remains a concern, although there have been significant gains in its eradication since 2021, the report noted.

The ongoing geopolitical situation has also affected the health sector, leading to reduced international support. “The health sector is struggling to meet the surging demand for services,” the WHO report states. Severe underfunding led to the closure of 428 static and mobile health facilities between January and December 2023, impacting over 3 million individuals, including more than 600,000 children under five and over 240,000 pregnant and lactating women.

However, the Ministry of Public Health’s spokesman Sharafat Zaman says the report cites incorrect data. He said 300 mother have lost their lives while giving birth in the past six months.

The Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with the relevant international organizations, on Monday launched the second nationwide campaign of polio vaccination for the year 2024.

The campaign will run throughout the country from June 3 to June 6. The aim of the campaign is to vaccinate more than 11.2 million children under the age of five against the polio virus.

“The Ministry of Public Health is committed to stop the wild polio virus in Afghanistan with the cooperation of its partners. We will continue polio vaccination campaigns and health services to reach the goal of completely eradicating polio throughout the country,” Acting Minister of Public Health Noor Jalal Jalali said at a ceremony to launch the campaign.

“It is important for religious scholars, elders, parents and influential people in the society to support the vaccinators throughout the country so that they participate in the fight against polio and keep their children healthy,” Jalali said.

There is no cure for polio; it can only be prevented by immunization. The polio vaccine, given multiple times, can protect a child for life, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Qatar Red Crescent Society on Saturday signed an agreement with the Afghan Red Crescent Society for the treatment of 169 children suffering from congenital heart defects.

The agreement was signed by Mohammad Saleh Ibrahim, Director of Relief and International Development Division at Qatar Red Crescent Society, and Matiulhaq Khalis, the acting head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society.

At the signing ceremony, Khalis appreciated the continuous support of the Qatar Red Crescent Society.

In the past two years, the Afghan Red Crescent Society has referred 3,094 children suffering from congenital heart defects to local hospitals for treatment.

Thousands of other children suffering from the disease are waiting for treatment.