KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A midwife in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province ended her life by taking poisonous pills after being dismissed from her job at a hospital in Sangin district, local sources reported.
The woman, identified as Nadia, died two days ago at the Sangin district hospital after intentionally taking the pills, the sources said. She took the pills shortly after being informed that she had been dismissed from her position.
Nadia had worked for about two years at the Sangin district government hospital, which is supported by the Afghan Health Development Services (AHDS), with funding provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), according to the sources.
The exact reason for her dismissal was not immediately clear. Sources said another person had been appointed to replace her. Nadia was married and the mother of two girls.
Health facilities remain among the few sectors where Afghan women are permitted to work. Female doctors, nurses and other health workers, however, face restrictions, including requirements in most cases to be accompanied by a male guardian when travelling to and from work.
The incident comes amid widespread unemployment and economic hardship in Afghanistan, where international funding has declined sharply since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
The humanitarian situation remains severe. The United Nations estimates that nearly 22 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance, while about five million children and breastfeeding women are experiencing acute malnutrition.
