The recent earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan have not only caused widespread deaths and destruction but also taken a toll on the mental health of survivors, especially women and children in Kunar province, medical sources said.
Doctors told Afghanistan International that psychological stress and fear triggered by the quakes are disrupting women’s hormonal systems, causing a reduction in breast milk production. They said mothers need urgent psychological as well as physical support.
“In the past few days, many mothers have come to the clinic saying their milk has dried up,” a female doctor in Kunar said. “This is natural because fear and stress change women’s hormones.”
She added that clinics face severe shortages of equipment and staff. “We have very limited facilities. There are no programmes for psychological support. We have no female psychologists, only a few midwives and nurses. This is a major challenge for us.”
Medical sources said some districts in Kunar have very few female doctors and almost no female psychologists to help traumatised women.
A psychologist, using the pseudonym Mohammad, warned that the lack of mental health support poses serious risks to the lives of women and children. He urged international aid groups and health organisations to launch programmes providing psychological assistance.
Residents of Kunar said the earthquake destroyed homes and left deep psychological scars. They appealed to the Taliban and international organisations to provide targeted medical and mental health support for survivors to protect mothers and children.
The earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan have killed 2,205 people and injured more than 3,640, according to Taliban figures.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that nearly 84,000 people in Afghanistan have been directly or indirectly affected by the disaster.
