KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Marking International Midwives Day, the British Embassy in Afghanistan has highlighted the country’s alarming position as the seventh highest in the world for maternal mortality.
In a post on X today, the embassy described the day as a stark reminder of the urgent need to lift the Taliban’s ban on women’s education in medical institutes, calling it essential for saving lives.
Robert Dickson, Chargé d’Affaires at the British Embassy, said the ban has already had devastating consequences, particularly for the health of Afghan women and children. He urged the Taliban to immediately reverse the restriction.
The Taliban imposed the ban on girls attending medical institutes in late 2024, following earlier prohibitions on girls’ access to schools and universities.
With the ban in place and several health facilities shuttered due to funding shortfalls, women’s access to healthcare has significantly declined. As a result, maternal and infant mortality rates are on the rise.
The World Health Organization (WHO) previously warned that an estimated 24 mothers die each day in Afghanistan from preventable causes related to childbirth, largely due to a lack of medical care and critical funding gaps.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan’s healthcare system has been pushed to the brink of collapse, as many doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, especially women, fled the country.
