UN Pushes Emergency Funds Into Collapsing Afghanistan Healthcare

GENEVA: The United Nations recently unveiled that they had committed $45 million from their emergency funds to try and stabilize Afghanistan's collapsing healthcare system.

"Medical supplies and resources are running out in Afghanistan. Cold chains are getting compromised. Essential healthcare workers have not been paid for their efforts." warned Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the UN.

Afghanistan's healthcare system fell into chaos after the Taliban takeover earlier, creating issues in aid response and leaving many health facilities heavily scant.

In an attempt to avert absolute devastation, Griffiths said he was releasing the emergency funds in the UN treasury to elevate Afghanistan's deteriorating healthcare initiative.

"Letting Afghanistan's healthcare delivery system fall to pieces would be catastrophic for all. People already suffering would be hit even further if access to primary health care such as emergency surgery and trauma care gets suspended," he lamented.

The funds, he said, would be directed to the UN agencies that cater to children and public health, which would allow them to collaborate with other non-profits in the region to keep hospitals, Covid-19 response centres and other health facilities operating until December.

"The people of Afghanistan will have the UN standing alongside them in this time of crisis," Griffiths concluded.