Six Pregnant Women Dead in Kunar; Taliban Block Female Medics

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At least six pregnant women in Kunar province have died following premature labor caused by earthquake shock, due to the lack of female doctors. Local sources say several other women also lost their newborns.

These women died while a team of volunteer female doctors from Nangarhar had planned to travel to Kunar to treat earthquake victims, but the Taliban’s Directorate of Public Health in Nangarhar prevented their trip. According to one member of the team, the Taliban cited “opposition from the Department of Vice and Virtue” as the reason.

Because of Taliban restrictions, women in Kunar have extremely limited access to healthcare. Local hospitals in the districts operate without female physicians, and most health centers only have one midwife. The provincial hospital in Kunar is also facing a severe shortage of female doctors. Many families were forced to transfer pregnant women to Nangarhar for treatment; however, some of them died on the way.

Women’s rights activists say that with the Taliban’s policy banning women from being treated by male doctors, the right to life and health of women and children is being disregarded. They stress that in emergencies and natural disasters, saving lives should be the absolute priority.

This is not the first time the Taliban have blocked female doctors from providing aid. Two years ago, during the Herat earthquake, they also prevented female doctors and aid workers from reaching the affected areas.

The deadly earthquake on Sunday night (August 31) in eastern Afghanistan left more than 1,400 people dead and 2,500 injured in Kunar alone. In Nangarhar, at least 12 people were killed and 255 injured, while 58 were injured in Laghman and 4 in Nuristan.