The Ministry of Public Health, in response to SIGAR's citing of a UN projection of a 50% increase in maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan by 2026, has stated that this report is not accurate.

Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, the spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, stated that 26,000 midwives and 20,000 female nurses are working within the ministry to provide services to mothers in the country.

Amarkhil told TOLOnews regarding the SIGAR report: "Fortunately, we have 26,000 midwives and more than 20,000 nurses. It seems that what has been said about Afghanistan's situation does not reflect the real reality of the country and is something that has been perceived from afar. According to our plan, the establishment of 320 new health centers at the district level and an increase in the workforce are on the agenda."

Earlier, the United States Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), citing the UN, projected a 50% increase in maternal mortality by 2026 in Afghanistan, attributing this rise to the deprivation of girls and women from education, early marriages, and a shortage of female nurses and specialists.

The report stated: "UN Women predicts that by 2026, the impact of leaving 1.1 million girls out of school and 100,000 women out of university will correlate to a 45% increase in early childbearing and a 50% increase in maternal mortality in Afghanistan."

At the same time, the head of the Afghanistan Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said that it is important to increase female doctors to reduce maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan.

"It is crucial that female health personnel are available in sufficient numbers. With the high birth rates we have in Afghanistan, how much Afghan families want to have many children—this high birth rate and the abundance of obstetric and gynecological diseases will raise maternal mortality rates in Afghanistan," said Najmu Sama Shefajo, a physician.

"Only by training skilled health cadres and providing advanced facilities can we prevent women's mortality. Of course, the culture, traditions, and customs of our society are such that people usually do not want their women to visit male doctors," said Fatana Nazir, another physician.

It has often been said that maternal mortality in Afghanistan is frequently due to a lack of health centers, a shortage of female doctors, especially in remote areas, and the challenging accessibility of roads.

Previously, the United Nations Population Fund stated that every two hours, a mother dies in Afghanistan due to preventable pregnancy and childbirth-related causes.