A magnitude 6 earthquake hit Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar around midnight on August 31st leaving nearly 1400 dead and over 3000 injured.
While relief and rescue operations are underway, many countries including India have extended aid. However, since women aren’t prioritized those Afghan women who have been injured are left to suffer in pain as they are awaiting female doctors to treat them. There is an acute shortage of female doctors and health care workers.
“Since the country is controlled by Taliban and women have no rights, most injured women are in pain as there aren’t many women doctors to treat them. There is little that can be done to support them at present and we can’t get much information on the numbers of injured women,” said Erfanullah Abidi, who runs an underground school for Afghan women and has been fighting for women’s right.
Amongst all the visuals released of rescue operations -through helicopters, in hospitals one couldn’t notice even one woman.
“Women have an existential crisis. Not too long back women health workers were restricted in some provinces as it was mandated for them to be accompanied by a male family member while she was on duty. This naturally wasn’t viable,” Abidi lamented.
Meanwhile, India has delivered tents for 1000 families and 15 tonnes of humanitarian aid has been sent by the Indian mission in Kabul to Kunar.
