AhlulBayt News Agency: Residents of the Shia-populated western part of Kabul have voiced serious concerns over the high cost of medical treatment and unethical practices by some doctors and private healthcare centers. They claim that certain physicians prescribe incorrect or irrelevant medicines and charge patients excessive fees.
Ahmad Azimi, a resident of West Kabul, told an ABNA reporter that many families have lost trust in medical centers and doctors. He explained that, in numerous cases, doctors charge patients extra money under various pretexts or prescribe low-quality drugs unrelated to their illness.
Azimi further noted that another major concern is the presence of unqualified individuals posing as “specialist doctors” in many clinics and health centers. This not only fails to help patients recover but often worsens their condition.
Pointing out that most patients in this area belong to low-income families, Azimi emphasized that doctors have a moral and civic responsibility to consider people’s financial difficulties and charge reasonable fees for consultations and treatment.
Other residents of West Kabul echoed these concerns, saying that some doctors in the area’s medical centers lack the necessary experience and skills, using these clinics primarily as training grounds to gain experience rather than to serve patients properly.
Abdul Razzaq Farhang stated that due to doctors’ lack of expertise and incorrect diagnoses, patients are often referred for unnecessary tests at private, expensive laboratories — causing additional financial and emotional strain.
He also criticized the unfairness of healthcare costs, saying that since the rise of private hospitals, many have begun exploiting patients under the pretext of treatment expenses.
It is worth noting that most healthcare centers in West Kabul are privately owned. Only one government hospital, Ali Jinnah Hospital, operates in the area. However, most of its essential facilities were recently relocated to East Kabul, leaving it under-equipped and unable to meet the community’s healthcare needs effectively.
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