WHO warns of deepening health crisis as mass deportations overwhelm Afghanistan

The World Health Organization has sounded the alarm over a deepening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, as Pakistan’s mass deportation of Afghan migrants overwhelms the country's already crippled health system and pushes it closer to total collapse.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning over the escalating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan as Pakistan intensifies its deportation of Afghan migrants, forcing hundreds of thousands to return to a country already on the brink of collapse. With Afghanistan’s health system crippled by years of conflict, economic instability, and international aid cuts, the sudden influx of returnees threatens to push the nation into an even deeper emergency. 

At the Torkham border crossing, WHO and its humanitarian partners are working tirelessly to provide urgent medical care, nutrition support, and disease surveillance for returning families. However, the sheer volume of arrivals—over 100,000 in April alone, according to WHO data—has stretched already limited resources to their breaking point. Many returnees arrive in poor health, with reports of malnutrition, respiratory infections, and other preventable conditions exacerbated by harsh living conditions in transit. 

The crisis comes as Afghanistan faces compounding disasters, including extreme food insecurity affecting nearly half the population, a devastating drought, and recurrent outbreaks of measles, cholera, and dengue fever. Health facilities, particularly in border regions, are struggling to cope with the surge in patients, while shortages of medicines, medical staff, and funding further hinder response efforts. 

WHO officials stress that without immediate international intervention, the mass deportations will have catastrophic consequences, leaving vulnerable populations—including women and children—at even greater risk. The organization is calling for urgent funding to scale up health services, disease prevention, and emergency aid before the approaching winter worsens conditions for displaced families. As deportations continue, fears grow that Afghanistan’s collapsing infrastructure will be unable to withstand yet another wave of desperate returnees.

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