When Shahnaz went into labour, her husband Abdul called a taxi to take them to the only medical facility accessible to them. She was in a lot of pain, he said.
The clinic in Shesh Pol village in Afghanistan's north-eastern Badakhshan province was where their two older children were born, but upon arrival, they discovered it was closed due to recent U.S. aid cuts that shuttered over 400 medical facilities across the country.
I didn't know it had shut down, Abdul recounted, his face reflecting deep agony. This single-story clinic had previously served as a critical lifeline in a region struggling with high maternal mortality rates.
Forced to return home without medical help, Shahnaz ultimately delivered their baby girl by the roadside but tragically died shortly afterward, as did the newborn from complications. Abdul lamented, I wept and screamed. My wife and child could've been saved if the clinic was open.
These heartbreakingly common stories across Afghanistan illustrate the severe setbacks for women's health following the loss of U.S. funding, which had previously represented 43% of all aid to the country.
Amidst increasing maternal deaths and overwhelming hospital conditions, local women's health advocates are left to confront the escalating crisis, worsened by Taliban restrictions on healthcare access and midwifery training for women.
Abdul's painful story reveals how political decisions resonate deeply in vulnerable communities and underscore the urgent need for renewed support for healthcare services in Afghanistan.
