IEA’s Ebad tells G5 meeting in Iran no female worker banned in health sector

Health Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) Dr. Qalandar Ebad said on Saturday that no female worker has been banned from working in the health sector.

Speaking at the 26th G5 High Level Experts Meeting on Health Cooperation in Tehran, Ebad denied the rumors and called it work of some selfish groups. 

“Some selfish circles sometimes spread rumors with the intention of confusing the minds of the society that female health workers are banned from work; while all female workers provide health services to their compatriots in the light of Islamic and Sharia rules to ensure the health of female patients, mothers and children,” Ebad told the meeting. 

Ebad also stated that cooperation in the field of health was important, especially in controlled infectious diseases. 

“Diseases do not know borders, we must fight such types of phenomenon together,” Ebad said.

Ebad also spoke about the developments and achievements in the health sector and said that the public health ministry has now provided health services in areas where there had been none for years. 

“We have now provided the opportunity to provide health services to our compatriots in these areas, in some areas there is still work to be done, so coordination and assistance is needed in this area,” Ebad said.

He also added that Afghanistan is a leading country in the implementation of the Corona vaccine and has made significant achievements in carrying out other routine vaccination and polio vaccination campaigns.

He meanwhile called for support of international partners to help Afghanistan to be represented in the International Health Assembly and the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Organization or EMRO.

“The international partners and the sympathetic countries of Afghanistan should help us in this area so that Afghanistan can be represented in the International Health Assembly and the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Organization or EMRO, which is the right of the Ministry of Health, with this, we will share our health priorities and needs with the international community and find solutions to them,” Ebad added. 

The G5 meeting, in Tehran, has brought together Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Tajikistan to boost cooperation in the health sector.