Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – The Taliban-run National Examination Authority announced on Tuesday that the final medical competency exam for newly graduated doctors will proceed without the participation of women. The exam, known as the “medical licensing competency test,” is scheduled for December 28 and will only include male candidates, according to a statement from the examination authority.
This decision was made at the request of the Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education. Irfanullah Ebad, a spokesman for the examination authority, expressed hope that the exam would eventually be open to female candidates. “The exact schedule for this test will be announced later,” he added.
The move has drawn criticism from female medical graduates, who claim this is the third time the Taliban have barred women from taking the “Supreme Medical Council Examination.” Passing this test is essential for obtaining a medical license and practicing as a doctor in Afghanistan.
The exclusion follows a broader ban earlier this month that prohibits women from attending medical institutes. This decision has sparked widespread reactions both domestically and internationally.
Female medical graduates have highlighted the devastating impact of these restrictions, particularly on healthcare in rural areas where access to female doctors is already limited. “The exclusion of women from this exam, combined with the Taliban’s restrictions on male doctors conducting medical examinations for women, has severely damaged Afghanistan’s healthcare system,” said one graduate. “Rural communities, especially women, are suffering because there are not enough female doctors.”
Since reclaiming power in August 2021, the Taliban have increasingly tightened restrictions on women, barring them from higher education, professional employment, and public life. The exclusion from the medical licensing exam represents another step in the systematic erosion of women’s rights under their rule.
