The Taliban have instructed teaching hospitals in Afghanistan to prevent male and female medical staff from working together in operating rooms, according to a document obtained by Afghanistan International.
Under the directive, all members of a surgical team must be either entirely male or entirely female, and mixed-gender teams are prohibited. The order states that a patient’s gender will not be considered when assigning surgical staff.
In the document, Ehsanullah Abolfaizan, the Taliban-appointed head of Kabul Medical University, wrote that “the patient’s gender will not be the criterion; rather, during surgery, all personnel must be of the same sex”.
The letter, issued on Tuesday, 10 February, applies to all teaching hospitals. Medical sources in Kabul confirmed the directive to Afghanistan International.
The new order has raised concerns about the ability of Afghanistan’s healthcare system to provide adequate and standard medical services under the single-gender requirement for surgical teams.
Health sector observers say the country lacks sufficient numbers of female medical specialists, which could make implementing the directive difficult.
One specialist doctor said a surgical team typically includes multiple essential personnel, including surgeons, nurses, anaesthesiologists, cleaners, interns and medical trainees.
Another doctor told Afghanistan International that, apart from obstetrics and gynaecology, the number of female specialists in Afghanistan is extremely limited. He said there are only “two or three female neurosurgeons” in the country and “no more than five or six female ear, nose and throat specialists”. He also reported shortages of female specialists in orthopaedics and plastic surgery.
In December 2024, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s leader, ordered the closure of higher and semi-higher medical education institutions to girls, raising serious concerns in a country already facing a shortage of female healthcare workers.
The Taliban have also kept schools for girls above grade six and universities closed since returning to power in 2021.
