21 September 2025, Kabul, Afghanistan – Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are taking a heavy toll on Afghanistan health system. Heart disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung conditions account for 43% of deaths in the country, a figure expected to rise above 60% by 2030, mainly among women. Substance use and road traffic accidents further exacerbate this burden. The WHO Representative in Afghanistan inspecting the women’s and children’s drug addiction treatment centre in Bamyan Province. Thousands of Afghan families face long waiting lists for treatment, with timely life-saving care often difficult to get, especially in rural areas. Cardiovascular disease alone claims over 40 000 lives each year, placing Afghanistan among the countries with the highest age-adjusted death rates. Ms Frozan, a 43-year-old cancer patient at the National Cancer Hospital in Kabul.Cancer also weighs heavily, particularly on Afghan women, with breast and cervical cancers among the top three. Sadly, most...