KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Afghanistan Medical Council (AMC) and the National Examination Authority (NEA), under Taliban control, have announced that the final medical exam, known as the exit exam, will be held without the participation of female graduates.
According to an announcement by the examination authority, biometric registration for male graduates will begin on Monday, and the exam is scheduled for December 28.
The exit exam is held annually in Afghanistan. Taking and passing the test is required for medical graduates to obtain a medical license and begin working as a doctor in the country.
Similarly, last year, the Taliban excluded female graduates, those who graduated in 2022, from the exam. They initially promised that the test for female graduates would be held at a later date, but it never took place.
This comes as the Taliban has recently barred female students from pursuing medical education, such as nursing and midwifery, in Afghanistan. The directive, reportedly issued by the reclusive Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, took effect on December 3 and impacted at least 38,000 female medical students across the country.
Midwifery and nursing training were the only educational opportunities left available to women and girls under the Taliban’s oppressive regime. They had previously barred women and girls from attending school beyond sixth grade and enrolling in university, among other restrictions.
The UN, human rights groups, and international agencies, particularly those involved in the health sector, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF), have been warning that the Taliban’s restrictions would worsen the existing shortage of female health workers and jeopardize the sustainability of the healthcare system.
“There is a shortage of qualified health workers in Afghanistan in general, and women especially,” said UNICEF spokesperson, Kate Pond last year, 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.
