Health Crisis in Afghanistan: Taliban Restrictions Deepen Barriers to Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health
An Afghan midwife collaborating with a British organization has described the challenges of providing healthcare services to women in Herat, emphasizing that Taliban-imposed restrictions have severely limited women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services.
The midwife, who wished to remain anonymous, said she travels with mobile teams from MSI Afghanistan to remote areas in the country’s west, delivering services door-to-door to underserved women. According to her, many women need a male chaperone (mahram) to leave their homes and are not permitted to see male doctors for reproductive health matters, a situation that complicates access to even basic healthcare.
She added that through her work, she has witnessed firsthand the consequences of these limitations, including women facing serious health problems due to lack of access to fundamental services. She believes social pressure and official restrictions have prevented many women from freely discussing their health needs.
The midwife also reflected on her personal difficulties entering the profession. Despite receiving training, she was initially unable to practice her skills due to a shortage of clinical opportunities. Concurrently, her father’s disability and the family’s financial hardships forced her brother to drop out of school to support the household.
She stated that participating in the reproductive health internship program organized by MSI Afghanistan was a turning point for her life. The program offered practical training and enabled her to enter the workforce. Currently, as a member of a mobile team, she provides family planning and other basic health services to women and girls in underserved regions.
In her account, she recalled meeting a woman with six young children who expressed anxiety about her ability to provide for their future. After receiving counseling, the woman chose to use an intrauterine device (IUD) for contraception—a decision that, according to the midwife, brought her a sense of peace and greater hope.
The midwife emphasized that educating and empowering female healthcare workers can help alleviate some of the crisis in accessing health services. However, since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, widespread restrictions on women’s education and work have severely impacted the country’s healthcare system capacity.
Previously, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that if such limitations continue, Afghanistan could face a shortage of 25,000 female teachers and healthcare workers by 2030—a development that would further jeopardize women’s and children’s access to essential services.
