SHEBERGHAN, Afghanistan — The father of six newborns who died shortly after birth last week in northern Afghanistan described the tragedy that unfolded as each infant passed away within hours of one another. Doctors cited premature birth and liver complications as causes of death, according to the father.
On Tuesday, October 31, at a private hospital in Jawzjan Province, Mohammad Amin’s wife gave birth to sextuplets — four girls and two boys. Just hours after their birth, the first of the newborns died, and by the end of the day, all six had passed away, Mr. Amin said in an interview.
“We brought my wife back to Sheberghan,” he said. “The Ministry of Health and doctors gathered and gave us some financial help — 200,000 afghanis to me and another 50,000 afghanis for her care. They said my wife should rest for two months and receive medical support.”
Originally from Dawlatabad District in neighboring Faryab Province, Mr. Amin had borrowed money to bring his wife to a hospital in Jawzjan, hoping to secure better medical care. The babies were born at seven months, ten days into the pregnancy.
“An hour later, two more [of the infants] — the fourth and fifth — died suddenly,” he recalled. “I didn’t tell my wife about their deaths right away. I told her, ‘Stay away from the hospital for now; it’s too much for you.’ I hid the truth to spare her more suffering.”
Mr. Amin, who has four other children — three daughters and a son, the eldest around 12 — says the demands of caring for his wife throughout her pregnancy, and now after the loss, have left him unable to work. He supports his family through hard labor, but local community leaders note that his difficult economic circumstances have worsened with recent events.
“Mohammad Amin has been struggling for months,” said Mohammad Sadiq, a local elder. “He used to work odd jobs with a neighbor, but for two or three months now, he hasn’t been able to work because he’s been caring for his wife. The family is in need of help.”
The sextuplets were kept in hospital incubators due to their premature birth, and their mother remains under medical care.
Maternal and neonatal deaths, preterm births, and limited access to healthcare during childbirth are persistent issues in Afghanistan, especially under the Taliban’s rule, which has curtailed women’s access to healthcare. Global health organizations have raised concerns over Afghanistan’s maternal and infant mortality rates, noting that Taliban-imposed restrictions have severely limited healthcare options for women.
