UN Urges Healthcare Access for All Amid Restrictions on Women’s Medical Services in Afghanistan

The World Health Organization has urged that all people in Afghanistan have access to healthcare, warning restrictions on women’s medical services violate basic human rights.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has marked Human Rights Day by stressing that access to healthcare is a fundamental human right for all people in Afghanistan. Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO Representative in Afghanistan, said that “health is a human right” and that protecting public health is inseparable from protecting human rights.

The organisation reiterated that every individual in Afghanistan should be able to receive medical services without discrimination or restriction. Its remarks come amid mounting concerns over growing barriers to healthcare for women and girls under Taliban rule.

UNAMA recently reported that in several provinces, including Kandahar, Zabul and Helmand, women are being denied treatment at hospitals unless accompanied by a male guardian. The mission warned that such restrictions violate Afghanistan’s international obligations and undermine basic rights.

Local regulations have also tightened in other areas. About a month ago, authorities at the regional hospital in Herat barred female patients without hijab from entering the facility, further limiting their ability to seek care.

Human-rights agencies say these policies deepen existing inequalities and place Afghanistan women and girls at heightened risk, especially as access to reproductive and emergency healthcare becomes more constrained.

WHO and UNAMA have both urged the Taliban to ensure that all people of Afghanistan regardless of gender or social status, can exercise their right to health, emphasizing that safeguarding these rights is essential for the country’s stability and recovery.

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