In October 2021 we launched our telemedicine programme in Afghanistan.

Ghor Province is especially affected by lack of healthcare access due to geographical and political considerations. In the winter months, roads from the urban centres or Kabul and Herat are blocked by snowfall, while weather also impedes travel between the provincial capital and smaller district towns and villages. This restricts movement of healthcare workers and medicine.

The majority of women and children we are helping are from the Hazara community who are amongst the poorest and most vulnerable people in Afghanistan.  With new laws imposed by the Taliban Government, women face more significant obstacles when trying to access healthcare in comparison to men, mostly in terms of movement restrictions related to the long-standing socio-cultural practice known as the mahram. This requirement obliges women leaving home to be accompanied by a male relative, which can impede their ability to reach a hospital – whether as patients, carers or humanitarian workers – in several ways. For example, when no male relative is available to accompany them, or when a journey that is already hard to afford for one person becomes unaffordable when paying for two.