Surging deaths, malnutrition amongst Afghan children amidst medical supply shortages owing to international sanctions

Malnutrition and consequent deaths among Afghan children have increased by over 50 per cent owing to the shortage of medical supplies in Afghanistan hospitals due to international sanctions.

The number of malnourished children has surged by over 50 per cent, reported TOLOnews citing hospital sources. Consequently, the hospitalisation and mortality rate among Afghan children due to malnutrition have surged. The local hospitals are flooded with sick children amid extreme medical supply shortages, reported TOLOnews.

TOLOnews quoted a doctor as saying, "The number of patients has increased recently. Our work is being affected as the number of patients is overwhelming, and the death rate among the children has also increased. If it there is no solution found for the problem, we will face a complete shortage of equipment."

ITV News gained access to Afghanistan's largest children's hospital, Indira Gandhi, in the capital Kabul, where medics are dealing with an epidemic of malnutrition, while other children are suffering from heart diseases and diarrhoea. But medics themselves are facing severe hardship. They haven't been paid for three months.

The head of Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital, Mohammad Latif Bahir, expressed concern over medical supply shortages and the suspension of aid to the health sector. "The number of our patients has increased compared to previous weeks. We are facing an overwhelming number of patients and we can only check on emergency patients and deny other patients," Bahir reportedly said in an ANI report.

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