Afghan Medical Students’ Outcry: Women Face Education Ban

Crisis in Education: Afghan Women Prohibited from Medical Training

The Taliban has intensified its restrictions on women’s education in Afghanistan, banning them from pursuing medical training, including nursing and midwifery.

This decision closes one of the last avenues for women to gain higher education, following earlier bans on attending secondary schools and universities.

The directive was issued by Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and implemented through the Ministry of Public Health, effectively ending any formal medical education for women in the country.

This ban severely impacts Afghanistan’s healthcare system, where female medical professionals are crucial, especially in culturally conservative areas where women are forbidden from being treated by male doctors.

Experts warn this could exacerbate maternal mortality rates and further restrict healthcare access for Afghan women and children.

Human rights groups have condemned the move as another step in the systematic erosion of women’s rights under Taliban rule, which has already barred women from workplaces, gyms, and public parks.