KABUL, Afghanistan —Taliban’s health minister Noor Jalal Jalali in a meeting with Robert Dickson, the U.K. chargé d’affaires for Afghanistan, requested Britain’s assistance in strengthening the country’s healthcare services, describing the support as essential, according to a statement from the Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health.
The statement said that the country’s healthcare needs were discussed in the meeting.
The meeting also focused on support for cancer treatment, addiction recovery services, and establishing specialized health centers within Afghanistan, the statement added.
This comes as international health organizations, including the World Health Organization, have voiced concerns over the Taliban’s restrictions on female healthcare workers, which have hampered medical services.
The United Nations also recently reported that donor countries have reduced their contributions to Afghanistan this year due to these restrictions, particularly on female employment, creating severe funding shortages for U.N. aid agencies working in the country.
The United Nations has warned that these reductions in aid could worsen the already critical humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
