The Taliban’s decision to bar women from medical education will have dire consequences for Afghanistan’s healthcare system, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned in a statement, calling it a critical blow to women’s health and the country’s medical future.
“There is no healthcare system without educated female health practitioners,” said Mickaël Le Paih, MSF’s country representative in Afghanistan. He described the ban as part of a broader effort to remove women from public and professional life, with devastating implications for healthcare access and quality.
The shortage of female healthcare workers in Afghanistan is already acute, particularly in facilities where strict gender segregation requires female staff to treat women. MSF noted that the ban would exacerbate this crisis, further limiting the availability of care and jeopardizing the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system.
A worsening crisis
Women make up 50 percent of MSF’s medical staff in Afghanistan, Le Paih said, underscoring their indispensable role in healthcare delivery. “The decision to bar women from studying at medical institutes will further exclude them from both education and the impartial provision of healthcare,” he added.
The organization emphasized that Afghanistan’s healthcare needs are immense, requiring the training of more female medical professionals—not fewer. MSF linked the ban to a series of education restrictions introduced by the Taliban since 2021, which have steadily eroded opportunities for women and girls.
“These restrictions significantly reduce the availability of future female medical staff,” MSF stated, urging that women’s access to education must be restored to ensure the country’s healthcare system can function.
International condemnation
The Taliban’s latest ban has sparked widespread condemnation. Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, described the decision as “unjustifiable” and called for its immediate reversal.
“Appalled by [the] reported ban on women’s medical education in Afghanistan, which further violates women’s and girls’ rights to health, education, and work,” Bennett said in a statement posted on social media.
The move is the latest in a series of measures by the Taliban to curtail women’s participation in society, a campaign that has drawn international criticism for its impact on human rights and the country’s future.
