Kabul – Dr. Najmussama Shefajo is probably the best known and experienced Ob-Gyn in Afghanistan.
She has become a familiar name for her regular appearances on Afghan television, where she spoke openly about the reproductive health of women, a subject always considered taboo in Afghanistan.
In the past decade, CBS News has done Several visits At her private clinic in the center of Kabul, but she has never been as busy as today.
Its clinic was flooded new patients after The Taliban Prohibition of women in nursing and midwifery lessons in December. It was a decision that started to wreak havoc on Shefajo, which told CBS News that she had suffered from migraines for some time “because of tension”.
“I see that my patients are very poor, they cannot pay, I cannot help them, and all the pressure occurs and I have a headache,” said Shefajo.
However, Shefajo remained a committed teacher. She found a way to get around the ban on the education of the Taliban for her nurses and midwives by all giving them jobs in her clinic.
This means that they are no longer technically more students, but the employees, even if it continues to train them.
She says that if current policies remain in place, the situation in Afghanistan will worsen.
“The previous doctors, midwives, nurses are aging and more and they will die,” said Shefajo. “Who will provide services?”
After the American withdrawal and immediately after taking power in 2021, the Taliban Also banished girls over 12 years old at school. But the results of such a shortage of health care could be catastrophic, believes Shefajo.
Under the Taliban rule, women and girls can only be treated by doctors’ women. Male doctors can only treat women when a male tutor is present.
“It is sure that the number of deaths will increase, and one day there will be no woman in Afghanistan,” said Shefajo.
An Afghanistan without women – the Taliban insist that this is not what their policies are intended.
In the courtyard outside of his clinic, CBS News tried to ask certain husbands, fathers and tutors what they thought of the ban of the Taliban in maternal health education for women, but nobody wanted to speak.
Shefajo said that his message to the Taliban was to cancel women’s health education policy.
“As a doctor, as a mother, as a woman, as a Muslim, I ask them … to give the woman a chance to help you build the country.”