Afghan health system ‘close to collapse due to sanctions on Taliban’

Health experts issue dire warning as staff go unpaid and medical facilities lack basic items to treat patients

Large parts of Afghanistan's health system are on the brink of collapse because of western sanctions against the Taliban, international experts have warned, as the country faces outbreaks of disease and an escalating malnutrition crisis.

With the country experiencing a deepening humanitarian crisis since the Taliban's seizure of power in August amid mounting levels of famine and economic collapse, many medical staff have not been paid for months and health facilities lack even the most basic items to treat patients.