Local sources say the Taliban have ordered healthcare workers in Kandahar to ensure that patients do not wear tight-fitting clothing during surgery and that their appearance and behaviour conform to the group’s principles.
Sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Tuesday, October 27, that the Taliban’s Directorate for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Kandahar issued these instructions during a meeting with officials of the Doctors’ Union.
According to the sources, the Taliban have also ordered that female patients must not be treated without the presence of a male guardian (mahram) and that the presence of male doctors in operating rooms during surgeries on female patients must be reduced to a minimum.
The instructions have reportedly been communicated to all public and private hospitals in Kandahar.
The sources added that the Taliban have warned healthcare workers that if they commit a second violation, they will be referred to judicial authorities.
These restrictions come as women’s access to healthcare services in Afghanistan already faces numerous challenges, and the expansion of such restrictions could make it even more difficult to provide medical treatment to female patients.
