Background According to the World Health Organization, approximately 280 million individuals worldwide suffer from depression. One occupational group that is more prone to mental health issues is healthcare workers (HCWs). However, very little is known about the mental health of HCWs in Afghanistan. Therefore, the present study examined depression, quality of life (QOL), and related factors among Afghan HCWs. Methods A cross-sectional survey was administered in June 2022 among healthcare workers (N = 299) in the Herat province of Afghanistan. The survey examined depression, its risk factors and predictors among HCWs. Results Of the 299 participants, 73.6% of them reported depression symptoms. Low monthly income, working in a private hospital, and being a cigarette smoker were some of the main variables associated with depression symptoms among Afghan HCWs. Multiple regression analysis indicated that field of work (aOR = 3.774, p = 0.0048), monthly income (aOR = 0.746, p = 0.0088), job type (aOR = 8.970, p < 0.0001), cigarette smoking (aOR = 2.955, p = 0.0069), a bad event happening during the past month (aOR = 2.433, p = 0.0157), physical domain of quality of life (aOR = 0.966, p = 0.0186), and psychological domain of quality of life (aOR = 0.950, p = 0.0005) were significantly associated with depression symptoms. Conclusion The prevalence of depression symptoms is high among healthcare workers in the Herat province of Afghanistan. One of the variables found to have a major impact on the prevalence of depression was their monthly income. Considering its impact on quality of life and the overall quality of healthcare services, the government should implement regular screening for depression, psychological counselling services, and psychiatric treatment for vulnerable healthcare workers.

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Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are widespread in tropical and subtropical climates and caused by bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses. These infections have devastating physical, social, and economic impacts worldwide, especially in underveloped communities. Migrant populations, such as refugees who may carry diseases or are exposed to them for the first time, face poverty, famine, and bad living conditions. The pandemic's twofold burden and long‐term impact on NTDs among African refugees are highlighted in this article. Sub‐Saharan Africa accounts for roughly 90% of the disease burden due to poverty and some NTDs’ special propensity to thrive in its climates. After a disruption, such as displacement due to war, infectious disease transmission will rise until it reaches pre‐intervention levels if treatments are not started. COVID‐19 threatens NTD control and elimination efforts, which are now directly affected by it. Due to high population density, social isolation is difficult in most African refugee camps. In such circumstances, poor sanitation and lack of access to water make hand hygiene practically impossible. Over the past few decades, refugees and their settlements and camps have faced socioeconomic and health challenges. In order for vulnerable populations, like the refugees, not to be left behind, they should not be forgotten and countries should prepare for the revival of community‐based engagement.

This article is available in open access under Creative Common Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license, allowing to download articles and share them with others as long as they credit the authors and the publisher, but without permission to change them in any way or use them commercially.