Taliban close 29 private health centres in Baghlan
The Taliban administration said 29 private health and medical centres in the Khost-Farang and Guzargah districts of Baghlan province have been shut down following recent inspections. Officials said the move was due to a lack of legal licences and failure to comply with health regulations.
According to the published information, the inspections covered 67 private health centres. As a result, 11 pharmacies, 10 medical practices, four laboratories and four dental clinics were closed.
The Taliban administration also claimed that 30 items of expired and substandard medicines were collected and seized from supply centres during the process. The administration had previously said it would not allow illegal treatment centres and pharmacies to operate.
The move comes as health services in many districts and remote areas of Afghanistan face shortages of specialist doctors, health workers and standard equipment. In such a situation, the private sector carries a significant share of the treatment burden — a sector that, because of weak oversight, limited facilities and reduced international aid, has repeatedly faced challenges over service quality and professional misconduct.
Baghlan province is located in northern Afghanistan, and Khost-Farang and Guzargah are among the areas where access to quality health services is reported to be limited. Over the past year, similar inspections and seizures of substandard medicines have also been reported in Kabul, Herat, Nangarhar and Balkh provinces.
