Afghanistan's Maternal Health Crisis Spirals Due To Restrictions On Medical Training
KABUL, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's maternal health situation is deteriorating sharply as restrictions on medical training for women and limited access to healthcare exacerbate an already critical emergency, local media house Tolonews cited the European Union's Humanitarian Aid office for Asia-Pacific as reporting on Friday.
The warning comes as Afghanistan grapples with one of the world's most alarming maternal mortality rates.
According to data issued by the World Health Organization in May, 521 women die for every 100,000 live births across the impoverished country.
In an additional stark warning, UNICEF reported in April that Afghanistan is facing a severe and rapidly worsening shortage of female professionals in essential public services.
Unless current bans on girls' secondary education and women's employment in key sectors are reversed, more than 25,000 female teachers and health workers could be lost by 2030.
Afghanistan's fragile health system is buckling. Remote mountainous communities face severe barriers to care due to poor infrastructure, transport shortages, and clinics lacking medicines, equipment, and staff.
--NNN-Xinhua