Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
KABUL – The severe restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan are pushing the country’s healthcare system to the brink, with devastating consequences for millions of women. Under Taliban rule, only female medical professionals can treat female patients, yet the crackdown on women’s education and employment has led to a mass exodus of female healthcare workers.
At Kabul’s French hospital, run by the international NGO La Chaîne de l’Espoir, patient numbers are surging while staff numbers dwindle. “The influx of patients is a tsunami,” warned Eric Cheysson, the NGO’s president. With 156 female staff members already gone and medical centers shutting down nationwide, access to critical care—including open-heart surgery and neonatal resuscitation—is collapsing.
International aid groups, including the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, are scaling back operations, leaving Afghan women in a dire situation. “Afghanistan is the victim of social femicide,” Cheysson stated. Meanwhile, Taliban officials continue to enforce strict gender segregation in hospitals, further complicating medical access.
Experts warn that if the ban on women’s education and employment in healthcare persists, half of Afghanistan’s population will be left without essential medical services.
