Report: U.S.Funding Cuts Linked to at Least 161 Preventable Deaths in Afghanistan

The Kabul Tribune (KT) — At least 161 people in Afghanistan died in cases linked to disruptions in health care following U.S. funding cuts, according to a new report by Refugees International that highlights the impact on women, children and health workers.

The report, released in August, is based on responses from 555 health workers across 30 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and records from more than 320 health facilities and hospitals in six provinces. Researchers identified 161 “high-confidence” preventable deaths, including 80 maternal deaths, 30 newborn or fetal deaths, 14 deaths among children and 26 adult deaths.

Refugees International stressed that the figure is not a nationwide death toll. Researchers excluded cases that could not be verified or might have been reported more than once, describing the 161 deaths as a conservative minimum.

More than 40% of health workers surveyed said they personally knew someone who had died after losing access to health care disrupted by funding cuts. About 60% said they knew patients who had suffered serious health consequences after clinics closed, health workers lost their jobs or medicines became unavailable.

The report links the deterioration to the Trump administration’s suspension of U.S. foreign assistance in 2025. It says more than $1.7 billion in assistance connected to Afghanistan was terminated or frozen, while about $736.6 million in annual U.S. humanitarian funding was lost.

The cuts have also had a major effect on Afghanistan’s health workforce. Of the 555 health workers surveyed, 383 were midwives, and 260 said they had lost their jobs because of the funding cuts. Among 172 respondents from other health professions, 130 reported losing their jobs.

Nearly 60% of those surveyed said their health facilities had closed because of the funding cuts, while another 12% said their facilities were close to shutting down.

Refugees International also reported increases in maternal and newborn deaths at health facilities in several provinces, including Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan and Farah, despite varying changes in the number of institutional deliveries.

Health workers interviewed for the report described women dying from postpartum hemorrhage after blood transfusion services became unavailable, pregnant women dying while traveling to hospitals after nearby maternity centers closed, and newborns dying after oxygen services stopped functioning.

The report also said restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women and girls have already limited women’s access to health care, while the loss of international funding has further weakened services and reduced employment opportunities for female health workers.

Refugees International called on the United States to restore humanitarian and health funding, saying reopening closed facilities, rehiring health workers and restoring access to medicines, nutrition services, oxygen and emergency obstetric care could help prevent further deaths.