Officials from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health say nearly 500 doctors from 34 provinces have received specialist certificates after completing advanced medical training in various fields. The graduation ceremony was held on Tuesday (Feb. 18) in Kabul, where close to 90 of the graduates were women specializing in obstetrics and gynecology.
At the ceremony, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, Minister of Public Health, said Afghanistan’s healthcare sector needs to meet international standards. He stated,
“We are striving to ensure that health services across the country meet international standards.” He added that expanding specialist training is part of the ministry’s broader reform efforts.
He also cautioned the new graduates against misusing their profession. “You must not use your medical career for commercial purposes,” he said. “Medicine is a responsibility and a trust.”
Nisar Ahmad Niazi, General Director of Specialty Program, highlighted the institution’s achievements in training skilled healthcare professionals across the country and announced the launch of new specialty fields.
“For the first time, we have included pathology, neurology, and neurosurgery in our specialization programs,” he said. “We have also started a neurosurgery specialization program at Sheikh Zayed Hospital.”
Meanwhile, Mawlawi Hamdullah Nohmani, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, who attended the ceremony, strongly criticized unnecessary medical testing. He stressed the importance of doctors staying committed to ethical standards, saying they must keep professional ethics at the center of their work while providing medical services.
“In private hospitals, high costs are taken from patients,” he said. “If you prescribe additional tests that are not needed just to receive examination fees, it is a crime. The new graduates must seriously consider this.”
Despite the celebratory mood, some of the newly certified specialists said they are concerned about whether their qualifications will be recognized abroad.
Sayed Hamid Sadat said their certificates are often treated simply as an MD degree in administrative systems. He said, “Our specialization certificate has no independent value; it is counted as an MD,” and he added, “This is a major problem that needs to be resolved.”
He explained, “For example, when our specialty is written as ‘Stomatology’ and we apply for a subspecialty abroad, they ask us to clearly define our field. We request the authorities to address the issue of our certificates and to create job opportunities for us.”
The announcement of specialization certificates for nearly 90 obstetrics and gynecology doctors comes as the World Health Organization has warned of a shortage of female health workers in Afghanistan. In the spring of the current solar year, the organization cautioned that limited access to trained female medical staff could further restrict women’s access to healthcare.
Since the Islamic Emirate returned to power and universities were closed to female students, no woman has graduated from medical faculties in the past four years. This has further deepened the shortage of female doctors across the country.
Reporter: Nilofar Mohammadi
