Human Rights Watch has stated in a report that the reduction in financial support from aid agencies and the difficult economic situation in Afghanistan after August 2021 has reduced the access of millions of Afghans, especially women, to essential services, including healthcare. Meanwhile, some residents of Badghis province who have visited the Herat Regional Hospital […]
Human Rights Watch has stated in a report that the reduction in financial support from aid agencies and the difficult economic situation in Afghanistan after August 2021 has reduced the access of millions of Afghans, especially women, to essential services, including healthcare.
Meanwhile, some residents of Badghis province who have visited the Herat Regional Hospital for treatment have complained about the lack of access to necessary healthcare services in their areas.
Zahra, one of the patients who came to the Herat Regional Hospital for her back surgery from Badghis province, complains about the lack of adequate facilities in the health centers of their province.
She says, “In our province, health centers do not have many facilities, and even doctors cannot diagnose and treat our illness properly. I had a tumor in my back that needed to be operated on. I had to travel a long way with my sister and brother and incurred high expenses to have the surgery done here. If our area had these facilities, we wouldn’t have been so lost.”
The lack of healthcare facilities, shortage of female doctors, long distances, and high expenses for treatment are among the major problems faced by patients and their caregivers who do not have access to necessary healthcare services in their areas.
Raihan, another patient who has come to Herat city from the Pashtun Zarghun village with her husband for treatment, says, “We have been at the Hozawi Hospital in Herat for a week, and because I am pregnant, I was having trouble. The doctors in our district could not understand what the problem of our patient was, so we came to the city, and we didn’t know anyone there. All our relatives are in Pashtun Zarghun. At night, when we stay at the hotel, it becomes very expensive for us.”
Considering that Afghan citizens have always faced challenges in accessing healthcare services, a recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) also indicates that after August 2021 and the reduction in financial and developmental support, the healthcare system of Afghanistan has been severely affected and has made millions of Afghans vulnerable.
