Ban on medical training for women threatens lives in Afghanistan
SCA urges the IEA to reconsider the ban and invest in quality education for female health professionals.
The recent decision by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to ban women from attending medical institutes marks a devastating setback for women’s access to healthcare in Afghanistan. This ban comes on the heels of earlier restrictions barring women from universities, further eroding their access to education.
The decision was announced by an official from the Ministry of Public Health during a meeting with the heads of medical institutes in Kabul on Monday. Heartbreaking images emerged of students training in institutes and hospitals being sent home in tears.
This decision is deeply concerning, especially given Afghan cultural norms that limit treatment of women by male medics. Without more women health professionals being trained, the already critical shortage of female doctors, nurses, and midwives will worsen, threatening the health and survival of countless women and children.
The consequences for nursing and midwifery trainings provided by NGOs are yet to be confirmed.
Gains in maternal health at risk
Investments in the healthcare system over the 20 years preceding the Taliban takeover in 2021 led to a significant reduction of maternal deaths. These efforts included the training of community midwives, about 450 of which graduated from schools run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan.
Still, the maternal death rate in Afghanistan remains one of the highest in the world. The latest estimate by the UN is that more than 600 women die per 100,000 live births – almost three times the global average.
Without a new generation of trained female medical professionals, women and children will face increased barriers to healthcare, leading to preventable deaths and a reversal of hard-won gains in public health.
The IEA must immediately reconsider the ban and invest in quality education for female health professionals. The international community must also find ways to support Afghan women and their essential role in healthcare.
Read more:
Afghan women ‘banned from midwife courses’ in latest blow to rights