Noor Jalal Jalali, the Acting Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan, has told an Indian media outlet that providing healthcare services without the presence of female staff in medical facilities across Afghanistan is impossible.
Mr. Jalali made these remarks during his visit to India in an interview with the Indian network WION, stating that midwives and specialist doctors have been recruited to provide services to women and children, especially in rural areas.
He further emphasized: “Women make up half of Afghanistan’s society, and without female health workers, the delivery of medical services is not possible. In Afghanistan’s health sector, a large number of female staff are employed, including midwives and specialist doctors. We are working to expand health services for women and children in remote areas of Afghanistan.”
However, restrictions on women’s presence in some healthcare facilities and the shortage of female health workers in various provinces remain among the major challenges facing Afghanistan’s healthcare system, hindering the full delivery of health services to women and children.
The Minister of Public Health also expressed appreciation for India’s “long-term and sustained” support to Afghanistan’s health sector, describing India as one of Afghanistan’s key and people-centered partners in healthcare services, medical education, and humanitarian assistance.
He further noted that over the past decades, many Afghans have traveled extensively to India for the treatment of complex and specialized diseases, and described India’s medical visa as “a vital humanitarian pathway” for Afghan patients.
Noor Jalal Jalali also stated that India is currently constructing a 30-bed hospital in the Bagrami area of Kabul, which will include a cancer treatment center, a trauma center, and five specialized clinics for women’s health and maternity care.
According to him, the Indira Gandhi Children’s Health Hospital is considered one of the largest and most important pediatric treatment centers in Afghanistan, and officials of the current government have previously requested the Indian mission in Kabul to further strengthen the hospital’s infrastructure.
