Afghanistan is experiencing a serious maternal health crisis as a result of the closure of hundreds of rural clinics when U.S. help was withheld. Pregnant women in isolated provinces like Badakhshan have nowhere to turn during labor due to the closure of life-saving medical facilities.
In one tragic instance, a mother from a small village named Shahnaz passed away while giving birth in a taxi after learning that the closest clinic was closed. Soon after, her infant daughter passed away. Their fatalities fit into a larger trend of avoidable maternal and infant mortality that is exacerbated by government barriers to women’s access to healthcare and is fueled by financial cuts.
As the nation’s healthcare system crumbles under strain and more women are compelled to give birth at home without medical assistance, the effects are catastrophic.
What is causing rural clinics to close?
The suspension of international financing, especially from the United States, has resulted in the closure of more than 400 healthcare facilities throughout Afghanistan. In the past, these clinics—many of which were supported by USAID programs—provided crucial maternity and neonatal care in underprivileged communities.
These clinics served as the sole source of medical assistance in areas like Shesh Pol and Cawgani. They managed dozens of deliveries every month, hired midwives, and kept necessary medications on hand. Families now have to travel long, costly, and frequently hazardous distances to overcrowded hospitals in urban areas as a result of their shutdown.
These closures have permanent and personal repercussions for families like Abdul’s, who lost his wife and newborn daughter on the side of the road. Here is the link to our article on Transgender Healthcare Ruling.
Without access to healthcare, how are women managing?
Nowadays, many women give birth at home without the help of a professional or the necessary supplies. Several mothers in Badakhshan related heartbreaking stories of surviving difficult deliveries or losing children as a result of inadequate help.
Bahisa, one woman, recalls giving birth without the assistance of a skilled attendant or pain medication. Within three days, her daughter passed away. The apartment where his daughter Maidamo died during childbirth was shown by another man, Ahmad Khan.
The tales are not unique. Maternal fatalities are dramatically increasing in rural Afghanistan. Families mourn their loved ones and carry with them the eerie realization that, had care been available, their deaths could have been avoided.
What effect does this have on hospitals?
Faizabad is one of many overburdened hospitals. Originally designed to accommodate 120 patients, it can now accommodate nearly 300. Medical shortages and limited funds are causing staff to struggle, and laboring mothers share beds.
Despite a severe lack of qualified workers, many doctors and midwives report feeling exhausted and burned out from working long hours. The hospital reported as many maternal deaths in August 2025 alone as it did in the whole year prior. Maternal mortality might increase by 50% at this rate.
In just four months, the number of newborn deaths has increased by 30%. Underfunded regional hospitals are currently under tremendous strain due to the collapse of primary care at the community level. Here is the link to our article on Promote Outdoor Health.
What function do policies of the government serve?
The maternal health problem is getting worse as a result of the Taliban government’s limitations on women, especially in the areas of work and education. They outlawed female midwife and nurse education in 2024. Prior to female higher education was suspended.
The current healthcare staff is aging and becoming smaller in the absence of fresh trainees. Two former nursing students talked about how the prohibitions destroyed both their personal futures and Afghanistan’s aspirations to reconstruct its healthcare sector.
Taliban representatives described these limitations as an “internal matter” and provided no concrete reform proposals when asked about them.
Final Thoughts
Afghanistan’s maternal health crisis is deepening, not only due to war and poverty, but also because of harmful policy decisions and declining international aid. The closure of rural clinics and bans on women’s medical education have put thousands of lives at risk. Local restrictions and global funding cuts have brought maternal care to a breaking point. Without urgent action to restore aid and remove barriers, the death toll will continue to rise. Rebuilding the maternal healthcare system is essential—not just for Afghan women, but for the country’s future stability and well-being.
