In response to the latest report of Human Rights Watch (HRW) the Islamic Emirate says that serious efforts to provide healthcare services throughout the country over the past two years are ongoing.

The spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, Zabihullah Mujahid, told TOLOnews that women have also been provided with employment opportunities and healthcare services in the health sector in the Islamic Sharia framework. 

“Compared to the past, health activities have increased and hospitals have become more standardized. The hospitals in provinces have also been better equipped and the medicine is available on time there,” he added.

This comes as HRW in its latest report warned that the reduction of assistance of aid organizations in the health sector after 2021 and the imposition of restrictions by the Taliban on women will challenge the Afghan health system.

HRW in a report titled “A Disaster for the Foreseeable Future,” said: “The loss of foreign assistance has severely harmed Afghanistan’s healthcare system and exacerbated malnutrition and illnesses resulting from inadequate medical care.”

“The healthcare system in Afghanistan is in crisis. As the Taliban gained power, aid organizations cut their assistance. Restrictions imposed on women and girls have exacerbated the situation. Limitations such as the requirement for women to have a male [Mahram] when seeking medical care or visiting a male doctor, as well as restrictions on their movement, have created significant challenges. Another serious issue is that the Taliban has banned education beyond the sixth grade for girls and women, effectively cutting off the pipeline for training female healthcare workers,” said Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch.

“The health sector is also like the other sectors: not satisfactory. And we need the international community and neighboring countries' aid in this field,” said Hamid Shakib, a doctor. 

In the report, HRW also called on the US and other governments to pressure Islamic Emirate leaders to lift restrictions hindering people's access to healthcare, including the ban on women's education and employment.