Afghan women face severe challenges due to lack of health facilities: Report

Kabul: Several residents in Kabul voiced concerns over the shortage of female doctors in the country due to rising problems for women regarding challenges in health facilities, Global Women’s Health Index Institute (GWHI) said in a report.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, women in the country have been deprived of fundamental rights. According to the report, women cannot visit health clinics or have a doctor examine them without a male companion and several provinces lack essential healthcare services, according to TOLOnews. “Many patients come from Paktia and Helmand. They say there is no female doctor,” said a doctor at the Najmulsama Shafajo hospital.

The residents of Kabul have raised concerns about the shortage of female staff at hospitals which has posed severe threats to the health of Afghan women, TOLOnews reported.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said that it has created dozens of facilities for women across the country, TOLOnews reported.

Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and movement for women and girls.

As a result of this, women and girls in Afghanistan are facing a human rights crisis, deprived of the fundamental rights to non-discrimination, education, work, public participation and health. Afghan women are staring at a bleak future due to a number of restrictions imposed by the Taliban governing aspects of their lives within 10 months of Afghanistan’s takeover.

According to HRW, women and girls are blocked from accessing health care as well. Reports suggest that women and girls facing violence have no escape route. Allowing girls into schools and other educational institutes has been one of the main demands of the international community.

The majority of countries have refused to formally recognize the Taliban amid worries over their treatment of girls and women and other human rights issues. Women are no longer allowed to travel unless accompanied by men related to them and are being curtailed from wearing make-up as well as their reproductive rights.