RASC News Agency: A substantial number of women in Uruzgan have expressed their apprehensions regarding the dearth of female physicians in the province, underscoring that this issue has culminated in the untimely demise of women and girls. As articulated by Mohammadullah Rohani, the head of public health in Uruzgan, a mere eight female general practitioners presently serve in the province. International organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, have illuminated the formidable challenges confronting Afghanistan’s healthcare apparatus concerning medical personnel, challenges that have been exacerbated since the ascension of the Taliban to power.
Inhabitants of Uruzgan have reported that the scarcity of female physicians, particularly in remote hinterlands, has resulted in fatalities during the transportation of patients to the city hospital. In response to these assertions, a conscientious medical practitioner at Uruzgan Central Hospital relayed to the media that there exists only one general practitioner responsible for addressing the healthcare requisites of all women in the province, irrespective of the nature of their afflictions. Last month, Qalandar Ebad, the Taliban’s health minister, acknowledged the predicament of the insufficient number of female physicians in Uruzgan and vowed to rectify it.
It is pertinent to observe that the presence of female doctors has witnessed a marked decline since the Taliban assumed control in Afghanistan, imposing a plethora of restrictions on women and girls. The Taliban has promulgated over 80 edicts targeting women during their two-year tenure, encompassing prohibitions on women and girls pursuing educational and professional pursuits.
Despite persistent entreaties from the international community beseeching the Taliban to rescind the restrictions imposed on women and girls, the group steadfastly maintains that Afghanistan’s internal affairs should remain untouched by external interference.
