In Afghanistan, a small number of midwives continue to provide critical maternal care despite Taliban restrictions that have severely limited women’s access to healthcare training. One midwife trainer, speaking anonymously due to security concerns, said she remains on call at all hours to assist women in labor in remote villages, often responding to emergencies where women arrive in critical condition.

The midwife described operating under constant threat following a December 2024 Taliban decree that banned women from training to become midwives or nurses. This order has effectively halted the development of new female healthcare workers, complicating efforts to address Afghanistan’s already dire maternal health crisis. She said most women seek her help only as a last resort, often arriving after enduring prolonged pain or severe bleeding, highlighting the urgent need for professional care.

Since the Taliban retook control of Kabul over five years ago, women’s rights and freedoms have been drastically curtailed. Healthcare access is among the most affected areas, with women frequently prohibited from being treated by male doctors and no new female doctors receiving training. The restriction on training medical professionals has left many women dependent on clandestine support or forced to forgo medical care altogether.

The midwife is involved in a UK-funded program aimed at improving outcomes for mothers and children through better pregnancy, childbirth, and nutrition services. Despite these efforts, the maternal mortality rate in Afghanistan remains among the highest globally. According to the World Health Organization, 620 women die for every 100,000 live births in Afghanistan—a stark contrast to 12.8 per 100,000 in the United Kingdom. The United Nations estimates that a woman dies every two hours from pregnancy-related complications in the country.

In many rural areas, the absence of accessible medical care has led women to rely on local religious figures, who provide spiritual support but lack the capacity to address medical emergencies. The midwife described how traditional clerics often recite prayers over women in labor, with the outcome left to hope rather than medical intervention.

The ongoing restrictions and lack of trained healthcare providers threaten to exacerbate maternal and infant mortality in Afghanistan, underscoring the critical role played by the few remaining frontline midwives operating under constant risk to save lives.