The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Orthopedic Center in Herat registered 4,283 new patients last year. Among them, 221 individuals received treatment for limb loss caused by disease, traffic accidents, and landmine explosions.
All services at the center are provided completely free of charge. In the past year, 541 prosthetic limbs were produced and distributed to patients in need. The center reported a noticeable increase in visitors in 2025, largely linked to the recent expulsion of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries.
The ICRC Orthopedic Center in Herat is the only facility in western Afghanistan that provides free prosthetic limbs to people with disabilities.
One of the long-term beneficiaries, 60-year-old Mohammad Yasin from Injil district, lost both legs in a landmine explosion in 1983. He spent many years as a migrant in Iran before returning to Afghanistan. Yasin has been visiting the center annually for the past 25 years to receive prosthetic care. His prosthetic limb bears the number 8608, a reminder of the long-standing support he has received.
Stories like Mohammad Yasin’s highlight how the ICRC Orthopedic Center not only delivers essential medical services but also restores hope, independence, and mobility to people with disabilities in Afghanistan.
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