Taliban Health Ministry: India a Key Partner in Afghanistan’s Healthcare Sector

The acting head of the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health has stated that India has issued nearly 500 medical visas for Afghan citizens in recent months and is collaborating with Afghanistan as an important regional health partner.

Nur Jalal Jelali, in an interview with an Indian media outlet, noted that India had previously played a role in Afghanistan’s development projects and has now committed to completing some previously unfinished projects. According to him, the focus of these collaborations is on infrastructure and advanced health services, including specialized hospitals, diagnostic centers, cancer treatment, and maternal and child health services.

Jelali added that the Taliban administration is striving to expand women’s and children’s access to healthcare—especially in remote areas—a goal he said must be pursued within the framework of Islamic culture and principles. This comes amid ongoing extensive restrictions on women’s work and education in the country, which have consistently posed serious challenges to Afghanistan’s healthcare system.

The acting health minister also addressed the medicine market situation, saying that in previous years, the market heavily relied on imports from six or seven countries, with Pakistan having a significant share. He explained that as diplomatic relations with Pakistan soured and supply route problems arose, serious shortages emerged in the medicine market.

Jelali stated that India stepped in at this critical juncture, helping reduce Afghanistan’s dependence on a single supply route. He also mentioned that during a Taliban delegation’s visit to India, meetings were held with several pharmaceutical companies to explore solutions for Afghanistan’s medicine shortages.

Previously, Pakistan was the top exporter of medicines to Afghanistan; however, after the Taliban’s deputy economic minister banned medicine imports from Pakistan, countries like Uzbekistan and India increased their efforts to stabilize Afghanistan’s medicine market.