New research suggests that at least 161 deaths in Afghanistan over the past 18 months may be linked to the disruption of healthcare services caused by the U.S. cutting off aid. Of these, half were women who died during pregnancy or childbirth, and 30 were newborn or fetal deaths. The study was conducted by Refugees International, which interviewed nearly 550 healthcare workers across the country. The U.S. government began reducing its foreign aid program after Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, freezing billions of dollars in assistance and moving to shut down USAID. Afghanistan had long depended on international aid, with over $1.7 billion in assistance cut off abruptly. The research highlights the impact of these aid cuts on critical healthcare infrastructure. For example, a newborn admitted to Nangarhar Regional Hospital in February 2024 with sepsis and birth asphyxia needed a constant supply of oxygen to survive. However, the oxygen plant that supplied piped oxygen to 50 pediatric beds had stopped functioning, a month before the Trump administration ordered a freeze on U.S. foreign aid. Maintenance of critical equipment, such as the oxygen plant, had also stopped, and the baby died. At least 180 health workers from a vital U.S.-funded health project in the region had been laid off, according to Dr. Shah Mohammed Qazizda, a doctor and former USAID project manager. The research also shows that safe delivery services once available at U.S.-supported Family Health Houses have been discontinued, affecting approximately 350 deliveries a month, according to figures from the Ministry of Public Health. Hundreds of healthcare centers have shut down, leaving pregnant women to travel hours to regional hospitals for care. In some cases, mothers and babies had died before arriving at the hospital. Some were unable to find a vehicle to transport them, while the lack of health facilities means women are risking home births with no medical intervention. Dr. Qazizda notes that neonatal mortality has increased by approximately 3 to 4 percent, and even more elsewhere. Stabilization services have also been suspended, and resuscitation capacity has been reduced. He states that the health situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating day by day and that there are currently no adequate replacement resources to compensate for the impact of U.S. funding cuts. Research published in BMJ Global Health in March found that Afghanistan’s health system survived the Taliban takeover in 2021 but has continued to face shortages of medicines, equipment, and trained staff. Now, the country is facing a severe health and malnutrition crisis, with one in 10 children now acutely malnourished, according to Save the Children, and nearly 600 health facilities closed. Separately, Sur has collected public health data from 320 hospitals that shows deaths in general rose significantly from 2024 to 2025 and into the first half of 2026. It is hard to directly link these deaths to aid cuts, but the numbers “clearly show that something is wrong,” Sur says. She is calling for U.S. funding to be restored to Afghanistan’s healthcare sector and for the jobs of unemployed midwives to be reinstated. Women have been particularly hit by job losses, as they dominate fields such as midwifery. Sur is also calling attention to the names of women and children who are dying, referencing Elon Musk, who played a central role in the effort to dismantle USAID. She recounts the story of a pregnant woman who died while transferring to a regional hospital for care, stating, “Her name was Halima.”