The Tragic Consequences of Clinic Closures in Afghanistan: A Father's Story
When Shahnaz went into labor, her husband Abdul called a taxi to take them to the only medical facility accessible to them in Shesh Pol village, Afghanistan. She was in a lot of pain, he recalls. But when they arrived, the clinic was closed, a grim indicator of the devastating impacts of US aid cuts.
Over 400 medical facilities in Afghanistan have shuttered following the Trump administration's decision to cut nearly all financial support. This abrupt withdrawal has left families like Abdul's without critical access to healthcare services.
As Abdul sat in agony, realizing their dire situation—without the clinic, they had no chance for assistance—he faced a horrific reality: Shahnaz delivered their baby girl in the taxi, but both she and the child died shortly after. My wife and child could've been saved if the clinic was open, he said, echoing the despair felt by many in similar circumstances.
Historically, maternal mortality rates have been high in Afghanistan due to terrain and inadequate medical services. The Shesh Pol clinic had been a lifeline, providing medical care and assistance to mothers, yet that lifeline has been severed. Families are now forced to travel great distances under perilous conditions for help, often resulting in tragedy.
Abdul's sorrow is compounded by a lack of records for maternal deaths like their own—estimating these losses in a society plagued by political complications and humanitarian neglect. Following the Trump administration's decisions, the situation for women in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly, revealing a crisis in maternal healthcare access.
The Taliban's policies have led to further restrictions on women's rights, including bans on education and healthcare training. As women are left without access to necessary medical attention, the risks of childbirth escalate alarmingly. Abdul's heart-wrenching story of loss is but a single account amidst countless others, each one a reminder that the root of these tragedies lies far beyond the individual, nestled in removed political choices that have reverberated through the fabric of Afghan life.
