The aftermath of the deadly magnitude-6 earthquake that struck eastern Afghanistan on September 1 has exposed a dire crisis for Afghan women seeking medical care. The quake and its aftershocks killed around 2,200 people and left more than 3,600 injured, with thousands now homeless in provinces like Kunar. But for many women in these hard-hit regions, the disaster’s impact has been multiplied by Taliban policies barring them from receiving adequate help.
In Somai district of Kunar province, Peer Gul described how dozens of women in his village were suffering trauma and high blood pressure but had almost no way to reach medical attention. “There is no female doctor for examinations; only one male doctor is available,” he said. This is far from unusual: as Dr. Mukta Sharma of the World Health Organisation (WHO) pointed out, roughly 90% of medical staff in the affected areas are men.
Taliban Rules Deepen Healthcare Crisis for Women
Under Taliban rule since 2021, Afghan women have been barred from most secondary and university education. That means fewer new female doctors or nurses are being trained just as international funding cuts—like those from the U.S.—have forced the closure of about 80 health facilities in these quake-stricken regions this year alone. Another 16 clinics have shuttered after sustaining earthquake damage.
But for women in need now, the barriers are immediate and severe. Taliban rules prohibit unrelated men from physically examining or rescuing women, and also bar most female aid workers from traveling without a male guardian. With so few female professionals remaining—and many too scared to speak out or operate—women often go completely unassisted. Aysha, a 19-year-old survivor from Kunar Province, shared her frustration: “No one offered the women help, asked what they needed, or even approached them.”
International Urgency Meets Local Silence
The WHO has publicly urged the Taliban to urgently lift their restrictions on female aid workers so they can assist in treating women and children traumatized by the disaster. “This is the moment you really need more female health workers,” Dr. Sharma pressed. Yet the Afghan health ministry and Taliban spokespeople have not responded to repeated requests for comment.
As international agencies warn of worsening humanitarian crises—and with thousands already facing homelessness—the lack of medical access for Afghan women stands as a stark reminder: in Afghanistan’s disasters, cultural and political barriers can mean that women are often quite literally the last to be saved.
