Over 400 Infant Deaths Reported in Balkh Province in First Ten Months of the Year

Officials from the Balkh Public Health Directorate report that in the first ten months of the current solar year, out of more than 21,000 newborns delivered in hospitals, 423 infants have died and 584 others were born prematurely. Kamal Khan Zadran, spokesperson for the Balkh Public Health Directorate, confirmed these statistics, stating that all these births were recorded in hospital maternity wards, and that infant mortality and preterm births remain a serious health challenge in the province. Doctors identify the main causes of this situation as high blood pressure, diabetes, psychological stress, poor nutrition, and early marriages. However, some residents of Balkh, whose patients are admitted to the Abu Ali Sina Regional Hospital, have expressed satisfaction with the maternity and pediatric health services. Abu Ali Sina Regional Hospital, as one of the largest medical centers in northern Afghanistan, admits thousands of patients daily. Health experts emphasize that without effective awareness programs, regular prenatal care, and prevention of early marriages, reducing infant mortality will be difficult—a matter that requires serious attention from the Taliban administration to maternal and child health services.