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WHO urges IEA to lift female aid worker restrictions after deadly quake

The 6.0-magnitude quake on September 1 killed more than 2,200 people, injured over 3,600, and left thousands homeless in eastern Afghanistan.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on Afghanistan’s Islamic Emirate authorities to ease restrictions on female aid workers, saying their presence is vital in delivering medical assistance to women affected by last week’s powerful earthquake.

The 6.0-magnitude quake on September 1 killed more than 2,200 people, injured over 3,600, and left thousands homeless in eastern Afghanistan.

With most medical staff in the area being men, WHO officials warn that Afghan women are struggling to access care due to cultural barriers and rules requiring a male guardian for travel.

“A very big issue now is the increasing paucity of female staff in these places,” Dr. Mukta Sharma, deputy representative of WHO in Afghanistan, told Reuters. She said roughly 90% of available health workers in the area were men, while the remaining 10% were mostly midwives and nurses rather than doctors equipped to treat serious injuries.

Restrictions on women’s work have compounded the problem. In 2022, the Islamic Emirate barred Afghan women from working for NGOs, though limited exemptions were granted in health and education. Humanitarian groups say those exemptions are inconsistent, leaving aid agencies uncertain and often unable to deploy female staff when emergencies strike.

“The restrictions are huge, the mahram (male guardian) issue continues and no formal exemption has been provided by the de facto authorities,” Sharma said. “This is the time you really need to have more female health workers present, let us bring them in.”

Community members say the absence of female doctors has already worsened the crisis. “There is no female doctor for examinations; only one male doctor is available,” said Peer Gul, a resident of Kunar’s Somai district, one of the hardest-hit areas.

WHO also warned that the situation threatens women’s long-term access to mental health care, particularly for those who lost male relatives in the quake and now face restrictions without a guardian. The shortage of female doctors is expected to deepen, with women currently barred from secondary school and university education.

The United Nations estimates that around 11,600 pregnant women were impacted by the quake. Afghanistan already suffers one of Asia’s highest maternal mortality rates, while recent cuts in foreign aid have forced the closure of dozens of health facilities in quake-affected provinces.

The Afghan health ministry and IEA spokespersons have not yet commented. The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly said it respects women’s rights under its interpretation of Islamic law and has pledged that women will continue to receive aid.

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Islamic Emirate’s army now self-sufficient, says chief of army staff

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Mohammad Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, says that over the past four years, the army forces of the Islamic Emirate have shown no hesitation in defending and protecting Afghanistan, and that today the country’s army is standing on its own feet.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, Fitrat made these remarks at a meeting with media representatives, political analysts, and a number of government officials aimed at coordination and strengthening cooperation. He added: “Nations that cannot stand on their own feet and rely on others, even if they grow, will not be capable of achieving real progress.”

Fitrat also expressed appreciation for the role of the media in ensuring security and in supporting the country’s defense forces, stating: “We and you, as citizens of this land, must put our hands together and build the country together, take pride in our forces, and strive with all our strength for the country’s development. We have created an army that defends honor, territorial integrity, and the borders of the country, and serves as the guardian of our freedom.”

He emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is working to establish an army equipped with modern weapons so that it can defend the country’s territory under all circumstances.

He stated that the country’s army has proven to the people that anyone who looks at this land with ill intent will face a firm and courageous response, and that it has also been made clear to neighboring countries that any aggression against Afghanistan will be met with a response several times stronger.

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Afghan health minister attends second WHO summit in India

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Noor Jalal Jalali, the Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Emirate, participated in the second World Health Organization meeting on traditional medicine during his official visit to India.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Public Health said that the meeting was held in India with the participation of representatives from around 100 countries, health ministers from 23 countries, professional experts from various nations, and officials from different departments of the World Health Organization.

During the meeting, discussions were held on the standardization of traditional medicine, training of individuals active in this field, recognition of traditional medicine as an established reality, and the sharing of countries’ experiences in this area.

The ministry stated that the purpose of participating in the conference was to standardize traditional medicine in Afghanistan, adding that for several decades this sector has been practiced in a non-standard manner and without a defined curriculum or clear principles.

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Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan boost trade and digital finance ties

Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives.

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Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, has met with a high-level Kyrgyz delegation led by Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakhyt Sydykov to discuss expanding bilateral trade and strengthening cooperation in digital financial services.

During the meeting, Hanafi reaffirmed Afghanistan’s readiness to deepen ties with Kyrgyzstan, stressing the importance of developing electronic administration systems and modern banking channels to facilitate trade and financial transactions between the two countries.

Minister Sydykov, in turn, pledged the continuation of Kyrgyzstan’s humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and highlighted his country’s interest in working together on e-governance initiatives. He also pointed to potential cooperation in areas such as the printing of securities and the development of electronic payment systems.

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