Afghan women told to ‘go home’ after de facto ban on male doctors treating them
The Guardian · · g1140026
The unofficial Taliban restriction has forced women into desperate and absurd situations as they seek medical help, according to interviews given to the Guardian and Zan Times Farida*, 37, woke up in excruciating pain one night with a toothache. Over the next few days, the pain intensified. “My teeth had been ruined for years. My molars on both sides of my mouth were severely damaged. I couldn’t sleep at night and could barely eat.” Farida and her family had returned from Iran earlier this year to live in Herat, a city in western Afghanistan. Like many migrants forced to return , they have struggled to find work and income. In their straitened circumstances, visiting a doctor has become a luxury but the pain forced Farida to a dental clinic in the Bakrabad area of Herat in early July. Continue reading...