The World Health Organization has urged the Taliban to lift restrictions on female aid workers in Afghanistan, warning that women in earthquake-hit areas are struggling to access urgent medical care.
The call came after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, leaving thousands in need of assistance. WHO officials said female health workers must be allowed to travel without a male guardian and provide care directly to women affected by the disaster.
Mukta Sharma, deputy representative of the WHO in Afghanistan, said the shortage of female staff in the quake zone was “a very big issue.” She estimated that about 90 percent of medical personnel there were men, while the remaining 10 percent were mostly midwives and nurses, not doctors trained to treat severe injuries.
She said that it became a problem because women were afraid to interact with male staff and to travel alone to seek care.
The Taliban ordered most women to stop working outside the home in 2022. Aid agencies say exemptions exist but are inconsistent and insufficient, particularly during emergencies that require travel. Sharma said restrictions remain severe, with no official exemptions issued, and her team raised the issue with Taliban officials last week.
"we felt we had to advocate with (authorities) to say, this is the time you really need to have more female health workers present, let us bring them in, and let us search from other places where they're available," she said.
Local women have also described the impact. A resident of Kunar province said many women in her village were suffering from trauma and high blood pressure after the quake but could not easily reach healthcare.
The UN Population Fund estimates that some 16,600 pregnant women in the affected eastern provinces are in urgent need of assistance. Residents of Kunar previously reported that at least six pregnant women had died because of the shortage of female medical staff.
