Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says that in many remote areas of Bamyan province, due to limited access to vehicles, donkeys are sometimes the only means for patients to reach health services.
The organization wrote on its X page on Tuesday, October 13, that a pregnant mother had to travel for more than four hours by donkey to reach an MSF-supported health center in Bamyan's Darra-e-Baghak valley for childbirth.
MSF added that after giving birth, the woman would have to travel the same long and difficult path back home by donkey. This situation highlights the profound challenges of accessing healthcare in the rural and mountainous regions of Afghanistan.
According to the organization, for many patients in these areas, when access to cars or other vehicles is difficult or impossible, animals like donkeys become a vital means of survival.
This report comes as the country's health system has faced collapse following the Taliban's return to power. Restrictions imposed by the Taliban government on women's movement and a severe lack of funding have made access to medical services, especially for pregnant women, even more difficult.
Bamyan is a predominantly mountainous province where many villages are cut off from health centers during the winter due to heavy snowfall. Widespread poverty also means that many families cannot afford transportation costs.
The story of this pregnant mother is symbolic of the daily struggle of thousands of Afghans to access their most basic right: the right to healthcare.
Source: Doctors Without Borders
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