USAID Causing Havoc

Afghan Mother Dies in Childbirth After US Aid Cuts Shut Down Local Clinic

A tragic story has emerged from Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, where a young mother lost her life during childbirth after discovering that the only nearby maternity clinic had been shut down following US aid cuts.

Abdul Wakeel, a labourer from Shesh Pol village, recounted how his wife, Shahnaz, went into labour and was rushed to the clinic where their two older children had been born. But upon arrival, they found the facility closed. The clinic was among more than 400 medical centres forced to shut after the Trump administration cut nearly all US aid earlier this year, following the dismantling of USAID programmes in the country.

Unable to afford a longer, riskier journey to distant hospitals, Abdul tried to return home with his wife. On the way, Shahnaz gave birth to a baby girl in their taxi, but both mother and child died shortly after due to heavy bleeding and lack of medical support.

The Shesh Pol clinic had once been a critical lifeline in the mountainous region, providing midwifery services, essential medicines, and basic healthcare. Its closure, part of a wider collapse in maternal health services, highlights the devastating impact of international funding withdrawals on vulnerable Afghan communities.

For Abdul, the loss is personal and profound. “I didn’t know it had shut down,” he said, his voice breaking with grief.