Women in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan Left Without Health Care as Clinics Close and Poverty Deepens

Women in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan Left Without Health Care as Clinics Close and Poverty Deepens
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Women in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan Province say they have been left without access to medical care or female doctors as poverty worsens and international aid dwindles, Amu TV reported. Residents described a growing health crisis following the closure of United Nations-supported clinics over the past year, leaving many without even basic medicine or treatment.

Several women told Amu that there are no functioning health centers nearby. One resident said she still cannot fill prescriptions given to her over a year ago by aid-supported medical teams. Others reported relying on neighbors for help and medicine as rising prices and the lack of doctors or midwives have made healthcare unattainable.

The situation has been worsened by Taliban restrictions on female employment in the health sector and the withdrawal of international agencies that once operated rural clinics. Uruzgan, one of Afghanistan’s most conservative provinces, previously depended on mobile and foreign-funded facilities staffed by female workers—many of which are now shut down.

Women said they are surviving through low-income work such as wool spinning and carpet-thread weaving, which offers little financial relief. Humanitarian groups warn that Afghanistan’s rural women face a deepening crisis of poverty, poor health, and restricted access to essential services.