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 says.
The clinic was located just a 20-minute drive away in the rural village of Shesh Pol, Afghanistan. It had been the place where their two older children were born.
As they drove along gravel roads, Abdul comforted Shahnaz, but upon reaching the clinic, they discovered it was closed. I didn’t know it had shut down, Abdul recalled, his face etched with grief.
This clinic in Shesh Pol was one of over 400 medical facilities that closed in Afghanistan following a significant reduction in U.S. aid under the Trump administration, part of the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
In Badakhshan province, which struggles with high maternal mortality rates, access to medical facilities like the Shesh Pol clinic is crucial. Previously, it offered trained midwives, essential medicines, and healthcare services.
Faced with no other options, Abdul and Shahnaz returned home after the clinic's closure. On the way, Shahnaz delivered their baby girl in the car, but tragically, both Shahnaz and their newborn died shortly after.
Abdul lamented, I wept and screamed. My wife and child could have been saved if the clinic was open. We had a hard life but we were living it together. Without any photographs to remember Shahnaz, he is left with countless memories of loss.
As the U.S. continues to justify funding cuts due to alleged misuse of aid, the reality on the ground for mothers like Shahnaz becomes increasingly dire. Reports of maternal and newborn deaths have surged, highlighting the urgent consequences of health service reductions.
