UNHCR warns of looming health crisis for 12.8 million displaced people
The funding gaps mean refugees may have to pay for their health care, but many lack the financial means. This will increase the burden on already overstretched local clinics and hospitals.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has raised alarm over a looming humanitarian crisis, warning that without adequate funding, 12.8 million displaced people, including 6.3 million children, could be deprived of life-saving health interventions in 2025.
A funding shortfall, coupled with decreasing health expenditure in refugee-hosting nations, is severely affecting public health and nutrition services for refugees and local communities.
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The crisis threatens access to essential medical care, raises the risk of disease outbreaks, and leaves many without treatment for chronic illnesses and mental health disorders.
The funding gaps mean refugees may have to pay for their health care, but many lack the financial means. This will increase the burden on already overstretched local clinics and hospitals.
Further reductions in water, sanitation, and waste management services could heighten the risk of infectious diseases such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, and malaria, with potentially fatal consequences. Additionally, setbacks in HIV response efforts in humanitarian settings are expected.
In Burundi, the suspension of nutritional aid in several camps has left thousands of refugee children under five without proper malnutrition treatment.
UNHCR says that the crisis extends to maternal health, with an estimated 10,000 pregnant refugee women at risk of losing antenatal care, increasing the likelihood of complications and maternal deaths.
Overcrowded local hospitals are preparing for an influx of patients, while fears of cholera outbreaks grow, particularly in Cibitoke province, where 11 cases have been recorded among Congolese refugees receiving treatment.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is also facing severe setbacks, with the health sector nearing collapse.
The UNHCR health budget for 2025 has been slashed by 87 percent compared to the previous year. Medical facilities are overstretched, experiencing staff shortages and dwindling medical supplies.
Critical referrals for specialised care are no longer guaranteed, while disruptions in water supply have already resulted in cholera outbreaks. The funding crisis could place more than 520,000 refugees at high risk of disease and death.
In Egypt, only emergency life-saving procedures remain available to refugees due to the funding shortfall.
All other medical services, including treatment for chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension, have been suspended, leaving at least 20,000 patients, many of them Sudanese refugees, without essential care.
In Ethiopia’s Gambella region, budget cuts have forced the closure of four out of seven refugee nutrition centers. Nine severely malnourished children under five were discharged before full recovery, increasing their risk of death.
“Currently, only two health workers are managing nearly 1,000 cases of acute malnutrition, making it difficult to provide adequate care,” UNHCR says.
An estimated 80,000 children under five face the threat of severe malnutrition, while the discontinuation of community-based sexual and reproductive health programmes could lead to a rise in maternal and infant mortality.
Funding shortages in Jordan have placed 43,000 refugees at risk of losing primary health care access. Additionally, 335,000 women of reproductive age may no longer receive essential maternal care services.
In Mozambique, the Maratane refugee settlement, home to 8,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, has been significantly affected.
The UNHCR-supported health center in the settlement, which provided over 80,000 consultations last year, has suffered a 50% reduction in aid.
Key services such as mental health care, supplementary nutrition programmes, and medical assistance for survivors of gender-based violence have been severely impacted. HIV and tuberculosis testing and treatment have also been disrupted, posing further risks to vulnerable groups.
The projection that 12.8 million displaced people could be left without health support in 2025 is based on an extensive UNHCR survey covering global health programs.
"Every day that this financial uncertainty continues increases the impact on the lives of millions of men, women, and children who have been forced to flee their homes," the agency warned.
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