EU Warns of Worsening Maternal Health Crisis in Afghanistan

In this photograph taken on December 8, 2023, Afghan woman Basa holds her newborn child at the Doctors Without Borders (MSF)-run maternity hospital in Khost. The average woman has six children in Afghanistan, but multiple pregnancies, repeated caesarean sections or abortions increase the risk of death. The MSF-run facility delivers 20,000 babies a year, nearly half those born in the province, and it only takes on high-risk and complicated pregnancies, many of which haven’t had any check-ups. (Photo by Kobra Akbari / AFP) Afghanistan’s maternal health crisis is worsening as restrictions on women’s education and limited access to health care put mothers and newborns at greater risk, the European Union’s humanitarian aid office said on Friday. In a post on the social media platform X, the EU office responsible for humanitarian operations in Asia and the Pacific said Afghanistan continues to face a severe maternal health crisis. It warned that barriers to women’s education and restricted access to health services are further undermining the health of mothers and newborns. The office, part of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, known as ECHO, said it continues to support the delivery of maternal and newborn health services across the country through its humanitarian programs. It did not give details on the scale of that assistance. Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates, according to the World Health Organization and United Nations agencies. Humanitarian groups have repeatedly warned that years of conflict, economic hardship, a shortage of health workers, and limited access to medical care have left pregnant women and newborns at heightened risk. The situation has grown more difficult since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. The Taliban administration has imposed sweeping restrictions on women and girls, including bans on secondary and higher education for girls, limits on women’s employment across many sectors, and measures affecting their participation in public life. In December 2024, the Taliban’s supreme leader ordered women barred from studying nursing and midwifery, closing one of the last remaining paths to higher education for women. Aid agencies say the measure, which UN monitors report is still in force, has cut off the training pipeline for future female health workers, deepening a shortage that is especially serious because many Afghan women are typically treated only by female staff. The World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund, and other organizations have called for greater investment in maternal health. They have warned that continued funding shortfalls, together with restrictions on women working in the sector, could increase preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and that fewer female providers make women less likely to seek care. At the same time, the de facto authorities have generally continued to allow female midwives and doctors to treat women, and UN agencies have been permitted to run women-for-women maternal services. Aid groups say those services remain constrained by funding shortages and by wider restrictions on women’s movement and education. The warning comes as Afghanistan remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. The United Nations has estimated that around 21.9 million people, close to half the population, will need humanitarian assistance in 2026. Aid officials say the strain has been compounded by the return of large numbers of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan, which has added pressure on already stretched health services. The EU is among the largest donors of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and says it channels its assistance through partner organizations, including UN agencies and non-governmental groups. It has not detailed how much of that funding is directed specifically to maternal and newborn care. The EU humanitarian office said it remains committed to supporting health services in Afghanistan and called for continued assistance to protect vulnerable mothers and children. The post EU Warns of Worsening Maternal Health Crisis in Afghanistan appeared first on Khaama Press.