Local sources in Faryab have reported a distressing incident at the Maimana City maternity hospital, leading to female doctors initiating a work strike in protest against the coercion by a Taliban member.
Sources on Wednesday, October 11, revealed that a female doctor at the maternity hospital was forcibly removed from her workplace by a Taliban fighter last night. The aggressor threatened her with a weapon and took her to a patient within the hospital premises. This act was met with strong condemnation from the medical staff, leading to a protest against the Taliban fighter’s actions.
Reports state that the Taliban member, stationed at the Hairatan port in Balkh province, had not only coerced the female doctor but also threatened her with arrest.
In response to this incident, female doctors at the maternity hospital decided to withdraw from work this morning. They closed the hospital gates to visitors, expressing their outrage and demanding justice for their colleague.
Taliban security officials in Faryab have assured the medical staff that they will soon apprehend the individual responsible for this heinous act. Despite this assurance, the hospital gate remains closed, causing concern among the community.
The situation is particularly alarming considering that there are currently 25 women hospitalized in the maternity hospital in Maimana city. This incident reflects a troubling pattern where doctors in the country have faced threats from the Taliban in the past.
In a similar incident last year, an audio recording from Ghor province revealed the extortion of a doctor. The recording captured a phone conversation between a Taliban fighter and a surgical doctor in Ghor province, where the fighter demanded a significant sum of money or weapons from the surgeon.
