Women Right to Health

 Written by: Muhammad Nasir Serat

Every woman has the right to the highest attainable standard of health like a man and the constitution of Afghanistan has banned any kind discrimination against women and in the civil law of Afghanistan it is stated that man has to provide the alimony for the woman and alimony includes these four items: Food, clothe, house and medication but some families do not allow their women to a doctor or health clinic and this issue creates serious problems to women.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some people about this issue.

Arizo, a resident of Kandahar province says, “My uncle’s wife was suffering from throat sore and she was losing her weight day by day but my uncle did not allow her to go to the doctor. Finally she died of throat cancer.”

Frishta, a resident of Chaharbolak district, Balkh province says, “I was pregnant and my husband’s family did not let me to go to the doctor and I aborted my baby and now I am suffering from severe pain.”

Tahmena Burhani, a resident of Maidan-Wardak province says, “One of my friends, Zainab fell from a mountain when she was collecting grass for sheep and goats and she hurt her one leg but her family did not let her to go the doctor. Her wound got worsen and at the result, she lost her that leg.”

Doctor Suhaila Taheri, a gynecologist at Bo Ali Senna Regional hospital, Mazar-e-Sharif city, Balkh province says, “If families do not allow sick women to go to the doctor, they might face some crucial problems especially if they face bleeding during pregnancy; and if they face blood pressure issue, their kidneys might lost function; face liver problems; hearth diseases and even abortion of baby.”

Hasanat, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif says, “There are different reasons; some families do not know the value of health. Our family’s male members do not allow women to go to the doctor.”

Rahmatullah Danishjo, a resident of Laghman province says, “It is a bad tradition in our village that men of the families do not let their females to go to the doctor or health clinic.”

How do people solve this problem?

Ata Muhammad, a resident of Balkh province says, “This problem was excited in some districts of our province and we find solution to it with the help Mullah, elders of the area, local administration and schools’ principals. They informed the men of the families to allow their women to the clinic otherwise they might lose their lives.”

Aisha Barakzai says, “I went to some families and talked about the importance of women right to health and they accepted and now they allow women to go to a doctor for treatment.”