AhlulBayt News Agency: The Guardian has reported that the Taliban have imposed informal restrictions in several parts of Afghanistan prohibiting male doctors from examining and treating female patients. The restrictions have placed women in increasingly difficult circumstances, with some being forced to return home without receiving the medical care they need.
Citing Afghan women and medical professionals, the British newspaper said the Taliban had introduced new restrictions barring male doctors from treating women in parts of the country. Although the Taliban have not publicly announced an official nationwide ban, evidence and interviews with doctors and patients suggest that the directive is being enforced across several provinces.
According to a report produced in collaboration with the Afghan media outlet Zan Times, dentists said Taliban security forces were inspecting medical facilities and threatening male practitioners with imprisonment if they continued treating female patients.
Women Forced to Abandon Medical Treatment
The Guardian highlighted the case of a 37-year-old woman named Farida, who returned to Herat after living in Iran. Suffering from severe toothache, she visited a dental clinic in the Bakrabad area.
Following an examination, the dentist informed her that several teeth needed to be extracted and replaced with implants or artificial teeth. The clinic arranged a multi-stage treatment programme and collected the payment in advance.
However, during her third appointment, when the dental implants were due to be fitted, clinic staff informed Farida that treatment could not continue at that time and promised to contact her later.
Two days afterwards, when she called the clinic, she was told that the Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice had instructed male dentists that they were no longer permitted to treat female patients.
Three months after the incident, Farida's treatment remains incomplete. During this period, her dental problems have made it difficult for her to eat and drink properly.
Restrictions Extend to Emergency Medical Care
According to the report, male doctors in most Afghan provinces have received instructions and directives from the Taliban prohibiting them from examining and treating female patients.
The restrictions reportedly extend even to emergency medical services. Exceptions are said to be permitted only under specific circumstances, including the presence of a male mahram accompanying the female patient or certain medical procedures being performed by female nurses.
Samim, a surgeon with 15 years of experience at a government hospital in northern Afghanistan, told The Guardian: "We are not allowed to examine female patients directly because we are not their mahram. It does not matter how simple the medical procedure is or how critical the patient's condition may be."
Dentists have also reported that Taliban security personnel raid medical facilities and threaten male doctors with imprisonment if female patients are found receiving treatment in their clinics.
Rahima, a resident of Kunar province, said an elderly female relative had to travel several hundred kilometres to Kandahar to receive dental treatment because her son operated a dental clinic there. According to Rahima, the woman's husband believed that seeking treatment from male dentists in Kunar would be embarrassing because they were familiar with the family.
Restrictions on Women's Medical Education and Employment
The restrictions come amid broader measures against women's participation in medical education and employment. Since December 2024, the Taliban have also prohibited women from studying at medical training institutions.
Hospital doctors told The Guardian that the group had additionally barred the recruitment of female staff at medical facilities.
Women doctors who continue to work are also reportedly required to have a mahram accompanying them. In one incident, a woman who visited a doctor's clinic with her father was still made to wait for treatment despite his presence. The doctor reportedly said another female patient accompanied by her mahram had to be present before he could examine her, so that someone could assist if a problem arose.
The Guardian has emphasised that the combined impact of these restrictions — ranging from prohibitions on women's medical education and employment to preventing male doctors from treating female patients — has created further obstacles to healthcare access for women across Afghanistan.
Your Comment