Afghanistan's foremost OB-GYN says the country is in a maternal health crisis

OB-GYN warns Taliban puts women astatine hazard

Afghan OB-GYN warns women volition dice without adjacent procreation of pistillate nurses and midwives 02:52

Kabul — Dr. Najmussama Shefajo is astir apt Afghanistan's champion known and astir experienced OB-GYN.

She became a household sanction from her regular appearances connected Afghan television, wherever she talked openly astir women's reproductive health, a taxable inactive considered taboo successful Afghanistan.

Over the past decade, CBS News has made several visits to her backstage session successful cardinal Kabul, but it has ne'er looked arsenic engaged arsenic it does now.

Her session was flooded with caller patients aft the Taliban banned women from nursing and midwife grooming courses backmost successful December. It's a determination that has started to instrumentality its toll connected Shefajo, who told CBS News she has been suffering from migraines for rather immoderate clip "because of the tension."

"I spot my patients are precise poor, they cannot pay, I cannot assistance them, and each the unit comes connected maine and I get a headache," Shefajo said.

Still, Shefajo has remained a committed teacher. She recovered a mode to get astir the Taliban's acquisition prohibition for her pupil nurses and midwives by giving them each jobs astatine her clinic.

This means they are technically nary longer students, but employees, adjacent arsenic she continues to bid them.

She says that if the existent policies stay successful spot though, the concern successful Afghanistan volition worsen.

"The erstwhile doctors, midwives, nurses are getting older and older and they volition die," Shefajo said. "Who volition supply services?"

Following the U.S. withdrawal and instantly aft taking powerfulness successful 2021, the Taliban also banned girls implicit the property of 12 from attending school. But the results of specified a wellness attraction shortage could beryllium catastrophic, Shefajo believes. 

Under Taliban rule, women and girls tin lone beryllium treated by pistillate doctors. Male doctors tin lone dainty women erstwhile a antheral guardian is present. 

"For definite the fig of deaths volition beryllium increasing, and 1 time determination volition not beryllium pistillate successful Afghanistan," Shefajo said.

An Afghanistan without women — the Taliban insists that is not what its policies are aimed at.

In the courtyard extracurricular her clinic, CBS News tried to inquire immoderate of the husbands, fathers and guardians what they thought astir the Taliban's prohibition connected maternal wellness acquisition for women, but nary 1 wanted to talk.

Shefajo said her connection to the Taliban is to rescind the argumentation connected women's wellness education.

"As a doctor, arsenic a mother, arsenic a woman, arsenic a Muslim, I petition them…to springiness a accidental for the pistillate to assistance you to physique the country."

• Women's Health
• Afghanistan