'More patients and fewer doctors': The struggle for maternity care in Afghanistan

Maternity care is the health support given during pregnancy, childbirth, and the weeks after birth. It aims to protect both mother and baby by finding risks early, supporting safe delivery, and treating emergencies quickly. It also includes newborn checks and advice for recovery.

Before birth, care commonly includes health checks, monitoring the baby’s growth, and identifying conditions that could make delivery dangerous. During labor, trained staff monitor mother and baby, assist the birth, and provide emergency treatment or referral when needed. Afterward, they check for bleeding, infection, or other problems and assess the newborn.

This matters especially in Afghanistan, where a woman dies on average every two hours from childbirth complications. The source says access to healthcare for Afghan women has become increasingly difficult since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Reliable maternity care can make dangerous complications treatable rather than fatal.

The source reports that, on average, one Afghan woman dies every two hours from complications during childbirth. That describes a continuing national crisis, not a single incident. It shows how pregnancy and delivery can become life-threatening when timely, effective care is unavailable.

The article does not provide a precise maternal mortality rate or a comparison table. It does state clearly that Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. The two-hour figure is an average, so deaths do not occur at perfectly regular intervals, but it conveys the scale of the danger.

The problem has become more acute since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. The source says access to healthcare for Afghan women is becoming increasingly difficult. That worsening access could make Afghanistan’s already severe position even harder to improve.

Childbirth complications become fatal when a mother needs treatment that is not available quickly. Examples include heavy bleeding, severe infection, dangerously high blood pressure, seizures, and labor that cannot progress safely. These conditions can worsen rapidly, especially when there is no trained professional to recognize the warning signs.

A skilled birth attendant can monitor the mother, identify danger, give basic treatment, and arrange urgent referral. Hospitals may provide blood transfusions, medicines, surgery, or other emergency interventions. The key mechanism is speed: a complication that is treatable in a properly equipped facility can become deadly during a long delay.

The source does not list specific complications. It reports that Afghan women die from complications during childbirth and that access to healthcare is increasingly difficult. Afghanistan’s high maternal mortality rate shows why emergency maternity services, trained staff, and reachable facilities matter.

The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Since then, access to healthcare for Afghan women has become increasingly difficult, according to the source. This matters because pregnancy and childbirth often require repeated contact with doctors, clinics, hospitals, and emergency services.

The source does not specify exactly which policies or practical barriers caused the change. It does establish a clear connection between worsening access and a serious health crisis: Afghanistan already has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates, and a woman dies on average every two hours from childbirth complications.

When reaching care becomes harder, women may be less able to receive pregnancy monitoring, skilled assistance during delivery, or urgent treatment. The source describes the situation as more acute since 2021. Its report from the ground highlights an immediate concern: further restrictions or access problems could deepen risks for Afghan mothers.

When maternity care is unavailable, unaffordable, or far away, mothers may miss pregnancy checks, skilled assistance during labor, and postnatal follow-up. Problems that could have been detected early may remain hidden. During delivery, a delay can turn a medical emergency into a death.

For mothers, untreated heavy bleeding, infection, high blood pressure, or obstructed labor can cause severe illness or death. Newborns can also face danger when labor is prolonged, the baby needs help breathing, or infection is not recognized. A trained worker or equipped hospital can provide monitoring, urgent medicines, procedures, or referral.

The source gives Afghanistan’s stark measure of this risk: a woman dies on average every two hours from childbirth complications. It does not provide figures for newborn deaths or describe specific families. Still, increasing difficulty reaching healthcare since 2021 suggests that mothers and babies may face greater danger when emergencies cannot be treated promptly.

The supplied source does not explain why Afghanistan has too few doctors or other healthcare workers. It only states that the country has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates and that access to healthcare for Afghan women is becoming increasingly difficult. Any historical explanation therefore goes beyond the article.

More broadly, Afghanistan’s long conflict has damaged institutions, displaced communities, and made it harder to train, retain, and safely deploy medical workers. Poverty and limited investment can also reduce the number of functioning facilities and professional opportunities. These pressures can be especially severe outside major cities, where staff may be harder to recruit.

The result is a fragile maternity system. If too few trained workers are available, women may not receive skilled help during labor or rapid referral during emergencies. The source reports that a woman dies every two hours on average from childbirth complications, while the Taliban’s return in 2021 has made access increasingly difficult.

The maternal mortality rate measures deaths from pregnancy-related causes during pregnancy, childbirth, or soon afterward. It is commonly reported as maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The measure helps compare risks between countries and track whether healthcare systems are becoming safer, although the source does not give Afghanistan’s exact rate.

Poverty can make transport, medicines, and treatment unaffordable. Conflict can damage facilities, displace families, and make travel dangerous. Limited access can delay checkups, skilled delivery support, and emergency treatment. Those delays allow complications to worsen before a woman reaches help.

The source gives a vivid scale instead of a numeric rate: on average, an Afghan woman dies every two hours from childbirth complications. It also says Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, access to healthcare for Afghan women has become increasingly difficult, increasing concern about future progress.