Oslo, Norway – December 4th. 2024, The latest decision by the Taliban to close institutes of health sciences is dramatically reducing the rights of women, girls, and newborns to healthcare.
Consequently, it will be impossible for Afghanistan to reach the UN SDG 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and SDG Target 3.1. to reduce maternal mortality rates from currently close to 700 per hundred-thousand live births to 70 per hundred-thousand live births.
This total disregard for human life and suffering is hard to fathom based on the Afghan cultural and religious values the Taliban claims to defend.
This decision will inevitably lead to an increase in the urban-rural gap in access to quality healthcare services.
The 10 public regional institutes of health sciences have been guarantors for the education of female healthcare professionals from rural areas, towards serving the needs of their home communities. This has been the main contributing factor in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates in Rural-Afghanistan.
Further, this increases the gap between the income-rich and the income-poor, as the income-rich can cross borders into Iran and Pakistan for healthcare services, while the income-poor depend on quality services within Afghanistan.
The decision to close institutes of health sciences favors the income-rich urban elite and is in steep contradiction to everything the Taliban claim to represent.
However, there is still time for the leadership to reverse its decision, realize the consequences of their own actions, and show the women, men and youth of Afghanistan that they put their own people first.
The Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC) has been working in solidarity with the Afghan people for 45 years and remain committed to Afghan women, men, children and youth regardless of which government is in power at any given time.
