The Taliban has banned women from pursuing nursing and midwifery education in Afghanistan, which affects more than 35,000 female students in health schools. This decision is likely to make the country’s healthcare system even worse than it already is.
This ban, which comes from the Taliban’s Supreme leader, has been criticized by many countries. The UK’s representative in Afghanistan is very worried about this decision, calling it a significant setback for women’s rights and a possible danger to healthcare for Afghan women and children.
This latest restriction about women’s education is just one part of a larger effort by the Taliban to limit women’s rights in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban took control again in 2021, girls have been prevented from going to school past the secondary level. Nursing and midwifery schools were one of the few places where women could still get an education, but now even that is being taken away.
The ban is expected to have severe consequences for Afghanistan’s healthcare sector, which is already having a hard time dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and other health issues. The health ministry official mentioned that the country is already lacking medical staff, and this ban will likely make the situation even worse.
