Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) or Doctors Without Borders has said that the Taliban's decision to ban women's education in medical institutions threatens Afghanistan's health system and will have serious consequences for women's health.
The Taliban's move is another step to exclude women from public and professional life, the organisation said.
The organisation added that the small number of female health workers in Afghanistan has currently affected access to healthcare in the country, especially due to the separation of male and female hospital wards. The Taliban's new ban has further restricted access to quality healthcare.
"There is no health system without educated female medical staff," said Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) representative in Afghanistan, Mickael Le Paih, on Friday, December 6.
He added that more than 41 percent of the organisation's medical staff in Afghanistan are women.
Le Paih also stressed that the Taliban's new decision deprives women of access to education and the provision of impartial health services.
The organisation said that the medical needs in Afghanistan are enormous and that more women need to be trained to take care of them.
Restrictions imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan over the past three years have significantly reduced access to medical education for women, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in the statement.
At the maternity centre in Khost province, which is one of the busiest maternity centres in the world, it is challenging to fill essential positions such as nurses and obstetricians and gynecologists, the statement added. The organisation reported that from January to June 2024, it helped 22,300 deliveries.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has emphasised that in order to provide essential health services to all people, these services must be provided by all genders.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has said it will continue to defend women's right to access medical education and education in general in Afghanistan.
The medical needs in Afghanistan are enormous, and to meet them, more training of women's medical staff is necessary.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international non-profit organisation that provides medical and humanitarian services in crisis areas.
