KABUL: Officials of the Public Health Ministry said about three million children suffering from malnutrition have been treated so far in 2025.
The Ministry’s spokesman Dr. Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil said the ministry has expanded malnutrition treatment centers across the country to address acute hunger and reduce related illnesses.
According to a WTOP News report citing the Associated Press, the number of treatment centers nationwide has increased from around 800 to 3,200.
However, Amarkhil said malnutrition is not a short-term problem. “It has existed for decades due to poverty, war, and other challenges,” he said.
This comes as international aid agencies have scaled back assistance to Afghanistan amid funding shortfalls.
The World Food Programme has said humanitarian funding worldwide has been divided due to crises including famine in Sudan and conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.
WFP officials said the agency’s budget for Afghanistan stood at $600 million in 2024, was cut by half in 2025, and is expected to fall to $200 million this year, an amount they say is insufficient to address the country’s hunger and malnutrition crisis.