Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has called for closer international cooperation to strengthen the country’s healthcare system, stressing that health and humanitarian assistance should remain separate from political considerations.

During a meeting with Hanan Balkhy, the World Health Organization’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and her delegation, Muttaqi discussed ways to improve Afghanistan’s health sector and accelerate efforts to eradicate polio, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Balkhy reaffirmed the WHO’s commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s healthcare system and appealed for the continued cooperation of the Islamic Emirate in implementing nationwide polio vaccination campaigns.

Muttaqi reiterated his support for polio eradication initiatives and highlighted the need to establish advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment centres, improve medical equipment in health facilities, and strengthen the skills of healthcare professionals.

He also emphasized that health, humanitarian and trade cooperation should not be influenced by political issues, saying that keeping these sectors separate is essential to ensuring aid and critical health services reach the Afghan people.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health has announced that Abdul Basir Qane, Director General of Drug and Health Products Regulation at the ministry’s Food and Drug Deputy, held talks with Uzbek health officials during his visit to Uzbekistan to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, Qane and his technical delegation met with Abdullah Azizov, head of Uzbekistan’s regulatory authority for medical and pharmaceutical industries, along with other senior officials.

The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in the production and regulation of medicines and health products, facilitating the entry of Uzbek pharmaceutical manufacturers into the Afghan market, implementing inspections in line with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards, streamlining the registration process for medicines, and increasing bilateral trade in pharmaceutical products.

The discussions also covered the development of laboratory infrastructure, capacity building and training for specialists, the exchange of expertise in regulatory and inspection fields, and broader technical and professional cooperation between the two countries.

At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening long-term cooperation in the pharmaceutical and health products sector, supporting the activities of pharmaceutical companies in both markets, and continuing dialogue on mutually beneficial joint projects, the ministry said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the number of confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan has risen to six in 2026, following the detection of two new infections in the country.

According to the WHO, one of the newly confirmed cases was identified in Nari district of Kunar province, while the other was reported in Nahr-e-Siraj district of Helmand province. The organization also stated that 34 positive environmental samples of wild poliovirus have been recorded in Afghanistan so far this year.

The report adds that in 2025, a total of 52 wild poliovirus type 1 cases were confirmed across Afghanistan and Pakistan, including 21 cases in Afghanistan and 31 in Pakistan.

WHO further noted that in 2026 so far, nine wild poliovirus type 1 cases have been reported across both countries, with six in Afghanistan and three in Pakistan.

Health experts say that low public awareness, resistance from some families to vaccination campaigns, and limited access to remote areas remain key factors behind the continued spread of the disease.

They emphasize that polio is incurable and vaccination is the only effective way to prevent infection.

Public health specialists also stress the need to expand immunization coverage, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, and to strengthen public awareness campaigns, warning that eradication efforts will remain difficult without broad community cooperation.

Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic and has not been fully eradicated.