Closure of Trade Routes Between Afghanistan and Pakistan Hits Pakistan’s Healthcare Sector

Pakistani media have reported that the closure of trade routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan has caused significant damage to hospitals and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in Pakistan, disrupting healthcare service delivery.

According to Pakistan’s Aaj News Network, this situation has led to a serious recession and shortages in the private pharmaceutical industry, which supplies a large portion of the country’s healthcare needs and relies heavily on imported raw materials.

Pakistani experts have warned that if this trade deadlock continues, citizens’ access to medicines and medical services will face even greater challenges, further straining the healthcare system.

This report comes amid repeated disruptions to trade and transit relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent months; a situation worsened by the lack of stable management and effective coordination from the Taliban administration in Afghanistan’s foreign trade sector, with consequences felt beyond the borders.