Taliban Bans Sight-Saving Corneal Transplant Operations in Afghanistan, Citing Islamic Teachings

According to a report published by The Telegraph, Taliban authorities have reportedly banned corneal transplant operations in Afghanistan, declaring the sight-saving medical procedure to be against Islamic teachings. Hospitals have been verbally instructed to halt the procedures immediately, creating uncertainty for patients awaiting treatment.

Impact on Patients and Healthcare Infrastructure

The directive threatens to prevent hundreds of individuals from receiving sight-saving care. Medical professionals reported that many patients on the waiting lists are young people who lost their eyesight due to trauma, accidents, explosions, and welding-related injuries resulting from decades of violence in the country.

• Waiting Lists: Facilities like the Noor Eye Hospital in Kabul have been forced to bring their transplant programmes to a standstill.
• Prior Operations: The Noor Eye Hospital had reportedly performed approximately 90 transplants in recent months before receiving the verbal directive.
• Resource Limitations: Dr Noor Zaman Hashim stated that the country faces a shortage of sufficient ophthalmologists and locally available corneas.

International Support and Previous Programmes

The corneal transplant initiative in Afghanistan was supported by the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA), a US-based charitable organisation. APPNA previously provided free donor corneas in Pakistan and expanded its efforts to Afghanistan earlier this year, facilitating more than 150 operations and training three Afghan ophthalmologists in Peshawar.

Broader Restrictions in Afghanistan

This prohibition adds to a growing list of restrictions implemented by the Taliban administration since returning to power in 2021. Previous measures reported by various outlets include:

• Restrictions on chess due to gambling concerns.
• Internet access limits in several provinces to prevent immoral activities.
• The removal of books written by women from university curricula.
• The discontinuation of specific university subjects, including human rights and women's studies.
• The exclusion of girls from education beyond the sixth grade and the closure of professional midwifery training programmes.

How to Verify

Readers can verify original reporting and ongoing developments regarding Afghanistan's healthcare policies through established international news outlets and human rights monitoring organizations.