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Health: A Risky Place to Be Female
Unsafe drinking water, malnutrition and infectious diseases
all contribute to poor health in Afghanistan. One in four children
dies before the age of 5. In rural areas, clinics and hospitals
may be hours away on foot, and travel is made more difficult
by bad weather, lack of security, nonexistent roads and rough
terrain. Even those who do reach medical care may not get what
they need. Many clinics lack such fundamental supplies as clean
water, lighting for surgery, blood pressure gauges and the equipment
to test donated blood for HIV. Many don't offer even basic services
for pregnant women.
Photo courtesy Eve Lyman |
Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world
to be pregnant, according to a preliminary report on maternal
mortality by the Afghan Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The country has
the second-highest maternal mortality rate in the world. Preventable
complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes
of death among women of childbearing age. And even when general
health care was accessible, under Taliban rule male doctors
were prohibited from treating women.
Then, in 2000, the Taliban allowed female doctors and nurses
to return to work for the first time since it had taken power.
And since the fall of the regime, male physicians have been
allowed to examine and treat female patients. However, for women
from rural areas or with conservative families, that is not
always acceptable. To deal with the crisis in women's health
care, Afghan medical schools are again training women doctors,
dentists, nurses and midwives.
POLITICS:
Struggling to Speak
SECURITY: Fear and Violence
HEALTH: A Risky Place to Be Female
EDUCATION: Learning for Change
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