India has reiterated its commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s healthcare system and humanitarian needs during a meeting between Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda and Afghanistan’s Minister of Public Health, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali.
The discussions focused on reviewing ongoing health cooperation and exploring ways to enhance collaboration in healthcare infrastructure, medical supplies and capacity building. Mr. Nadda emphasised that India’s engagement with Afghanistan remains people-centric and guided by humanitarian considerations, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent focus on welfare, capacity building and access to essential healthcare services.
India has already implemented several major healthcare infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, including five maternity and health clinics in Paktia, Khost and Paktika provinces, a 30-bed hospital in Kabul, and the construction or upgradation of facilities such as an Oncology Centre, Trauma Centre, Diagnostic Centre and Thalassemia Centre in the capital. Additional health sector assistance proposals are currently under consideration.
The Union Health Minister noted that India has supplied 327 tonnes of medicines and vaccines to Afghanistan over the past four years. He added that cancer medicines and a CT scan machine requested by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health are ready for dispatch and are expected to be delivered by the end of the month. Proposals for a radiotherapy machine and further medical supplies are also being processed.
Capacity-building initiatives were another key focus of the meeting. India is working on plans to send a team of senior Indian doctors to Afghanistan to conduct a medical camp and provide training to local doctors. The successful Jaipur Foot Camp held in Kabul in June 2025, where 75 prosthetic limbs were fitted, was highlighted, with discussions underway to organise similar camps in the coming year.
India also reaffirmed its commitment to providing free medical treatment in India for Afghan patients suffering from serious and emergency conditions, along with facilitating medical visas. Since the launch of the new Afghan visa module in April 2025, more than 500 visas have been issued, including over 200 medical visas in the past four months.
Mr. Nadda further recalled India’s wider humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, which includes the supply of food grains, medicines, vaccines, emergency relief materials and support for rehabilitation programmes in collaboration with international organisations.
The meeting concluded with both sides expressing satisfaction with the progress of cooperation and reaffirming their commitment to strengthening healthcare support for the Afghan people.
