Female Medical students in Afghanistan continue studies secretly: Al Jazeera

Written BY: Hakim Bigzaad

Al Jazeera has reported that female medical students in Afghanistan are continuing their education in secret.

The Al Jazeera report published on December 30th states that over 3,000 women who graduated before the education ban have been denied participation in the “exit exam.”

The prohibition of female doctors from entering exams has led to a severe shortage of female doctors in Afghanistan’s health sector.

Qalandar Abad, the acting Minister of Public Health, has also referred to this issue, stating that they are facing a shortage of female doctors.

Al Jazeera interviewed two girls who are interning in hospitals secretly. They have said that they have taken this action against imposed restrictions and to prevent forced marriages.

The girls told Al Jazeera reporter that “their constant fear is that the Taliban might see them during their internships.”

Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Afghanistan, reported in the last report to the UN Security Council that Afghanistan is the most repressive country in the field of women’s rights.

Al Jazeera has reported that in parts of Afghanistan, men do not allow their women to be treated by male doctors. While the Afghan health sector urgently needs female doctors, the ban on girls’ education has led to a “most destructive” situation.

According to the latest World Health Organization statistics, 638 women per 100,000 births lose their lives in Afghanistan, and this number reaches up to five thousand deaths in some remote areas.

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