Afghan women are increasingly being denied access to medical treatment as Taliban authorities enforce an unofficial nationwide restriction on male doctors treating female patients, forcing many to endure illnesses or travel long distances to seek care, The Guardian reports.

The restriction, which has not been publicly announced, appears to have spread across the country, with Taliban security forces reportedly raiding dental clinics and warning male practitioners that they could be imprisoned if found treating women.

According to interviews with women and medical professionals conducted by The Guardian and Afghan media outlet Zan Times, male doctors in several provinces have also received directives barring them from examining or providing emergency treatment to female patients, except under specific conditions.

Farida, 37, from the western city of Herat, is among those affected. She had been receiving dental treatment at a clinic in the city in July when the clinic abruptly stopped her treatment during her third visit.

After initially agreeing to remove several damaged teeth and fit implants, the clinic later informed her that it could no longer complete the procedure because of an order from the Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

The clinic told her that male dentists were no longer permitted to treat female patients and promised to contact her if the situation changed. Three months later, her treatment remains unfinished.

The restrictions have created particularly difficult circumstances in areas where female doctors are scarce.

Samim, a surgeon with 15 years of experience at a public hospital in northern Afghanistan, told The Guardian and Zan Times that male doctors were prohibited from directly examining female patients, regardless of the severity of their conditions.

He said exceptions depended on conditions such as the presence of a male guardian, known as a mahram, or the involvement of female nurses in certain procedures.

The restrictions have also extended to the way hospitals identify female patients. In May, officials in Balkh province reportedly instructed hospitals, private practices and clinics to use the term 'Bibi' instead of women's actual names, including on medical prescriptions.

In another case, an elderly woman from Kunar province had to travel hundreds of miles to Kandahar for dental treatment because her son operated a dental clinic there. Her husband reportedly feared that visiting a male dentist locally would bring shame upon the family.

The crackdown comes as Afghan women face growing restrictions on entering the medical profession themselves. Since December 2024, women have been barred from studying at medical institutes, while hospital doctors have also reported restrictions on hiring female staff.

Women who continue to work as doctors are reportedly required to have a mahram. The restrictions have left female patients with limited options, including seeking help from potentially unqualified female health workers or going without treatment.

One patient said she had been forced to wait at a clinic despite arriving with her father because the male doctor needed another female patient accompanied by her mahram to be present before examining her.

The testimonies contradict Taliban officials' assurances that male doctors would be exempt from restrictions when treating women.

In February, Taliban communications minister Hamdullah Nomani said male doctors would be considered mahrams when providing medical treatment to female patients.

However, medical workers say the restrictions continue to prevent them from treating women.

Nargis, an assistant at a dental clinic in Jalalabad, eastern Afghanistan, said some male doctors have resorted to hiding their identities to avoid detection by Taliban officials.

She said one doctor sometimes joked about keeping a burqa inside his office so he could wear it if Taliban officials arrived while he was treating a female patient.

The restrictions have left many Afghan women facing an increasingly desperate choice between risking punishment to receive medical care, seeking help from unqualified providers or enduring their illnesses.