Afghanistan: Taliban Authorities Suspend Corneal Transplant Surgeries, Raising Concerns Over Patients’ Access to Treatment

Afghanistan: Taliban Authorities Suspend Corneal Transplant Surgeries, Raising Concerns Over Patients’ Access to Treatment
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Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have ordered the suspension of corneal transplant surgeries, reportedly citing religious objections to the procedure. The decision has raised concerns among medical professionals and left numerous patients facing the loss of an opportunity to restore their eyesight.

According to doctors in Kabul, medical facilities received instructions to stop performing the operations, despite the success of a charitable medical programme that had provided free corneal transplants after training Afghan medical teams and securing the necessary donor corneas.

Dr Noor Zaman Hashem of Noor Eye Hospital in Kabul said his medical team had performed approximately 90 corneal transplant operations in recent months before receiving orders to suspend the programme. The decision has also halted scheduled surgeries for patients on waiting lists, including young people who lost their sight following injuries, explosions and accidents.

The programme, supported by a specialised charitable organisation, aimed to provide free treatment for patients suffering from corneal damage and related vision loss by training local doctors and supplying the required medical resources.

Medical professionals have warned that continuing the suspension could deprive more patients of access to an established treatment that can restore vision in certain cases of corneal blindness. The organisation overseeing the programme has called on the authorities to allow the surgeries to resume, warning of further suffering among patients awaiting treatment.

The decision comes as Afghanistan’s healthcare sector continues to face significant challenges in providing specialised medical services, raising further concerns about patients’ access to essential treatment.