For more than two decades, Afghanistan's healthcare system has faced longstanding issues of understaffing, underfunding, and inadequate response to population needs within the health system. The situation deteriorated further when the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA, also known as the Taliban) assumed power in August 2021 and donor funding was reduced, adding strain to an already fragile system.

In August 2023, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) launched services at the Mazar-i-Sharif Regional Hospital in Balkh Province, Afghanistan, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health, aiming to reduce paediatric and neonatal mortality rates in the northern province by implementing a specialised emergency room (ER) for children up to the age of 15, supported by a triage system to ensure the most critical patients are admitted and given the care they need. MSF also supports a specialized neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) providing care to premature and sick newborns. MSF medical teams in the paediatric ER at Mazar-i-Sharif Regional Hospital treat an average of 1100 critically ill children every week and admit an average of 546 newborns each month to the NICU. The average bed occupancy rate has consistently been higher than 140 percent since MSF started activities in the NICU. It currently accommodates 60 infants, more than double its 27-bed capacity.