Female health workers: Women make up only 27% of general practitioners, 18% of specialists, and 29% of nurses.
Maternal mortality: Afghanistan records 620 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Midwife shortage: Afghanistan is short of about 18,000 midwives.
Medical education: The ban on women’s medical education has halted the training of future midwives and nurses.
Future workforce: Afghanistan could lose 5,400 female health workers by 2030.
Rural access: Distance and a shortage of female health workers limit care in 19 provinces.
Essential healthcare: In 2024, only 4.1 million of 15 million Afghan women had access to essential healthcare.
Emergencies: A shortage of female health workers hindered women’s access to care after the eastern Afghanistan earthquake.
UN warning: The shortage puts mothers, newborns, and children at greater risk.
