KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban has barred female students from attending medical institutes across Afghanistan in its latest restrictions on women’s rights, sources reported.
Officials of several medical institutes and female students confirmed to KabulNow that the Taliban Ministry of Public Health has verbally instructed medical institutes to notify their female students to “remain home until further notice.”
In an audio clip obtained by KabulNow, a medical institute official is heard asking female students not to come to the institute starting Tuesday, December 3.
The Taliban authorities have yet to comment on the matter. However, Robert C. Dickson, Charge d’Affaires of the UK Mission to Afghanistan, expressed concern, calling it yet another affront to women’s right to education that will further limit access to healthcare for Afghan women and girls.
In Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, medical institutes were the only option for women and girls seeking education in the health sector, offering training in midwifery and nursing.
Following their return to power three years ago, the Taliban has barred women and girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and from universities, including both private and public medical universities.
The regime has also barred women and girls from most employment opportunities, including in the health sector in some regions.
This comes as the country grapples with a shortage of health workers and professionals, particularly female doctors, nurses, and midwives, who are needed to provide critical health services to thousands of female patients across the country.
Last year, the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) raised concerns about the shortage of qualified health workers, especially women, in Afghanistan.
“There is a shortage of qualified health workers in Afghanistan in general, and women especially,” said UNICEF spokesperson, Kate Pond, adding that some Afghans travel long distances for health care services.
“As a result, more than one-third of the population lack access to health facilities,” she added.
Similarly, MSF officials said that the organization faces challenges in filling all necessary medical positions in its facilities in Afghanistan, including female doctors and gynecologists, noting that they have become “extremely scarce.” “We need more female doctors, not fewer,” the organization emphasized.
Meanwhile, according to the UN, over 18 million people, mostly women and children, depend on health assistance. Earlier in June, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that approximately 24 mothers and 167 infants die each day in Afghanistan due to a lack of essential healthcare services.
