KABUL, Afghanistan — According to the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan, females only account for 27% of COVID-19 infections. This is a worrying indicator that gender inequality in Afghan healthcare may be the cause of the disproportionate data.
Gender Inequality in Afghan Healthcare: How?
The head nurse at a Herat City hospital, Fauzia Abrar, states, “We’ve tested hundreds of people every day, but only about 30 to 35% of them are women.” The low percentage of female testing does not imply that women are not getting sick. Instead, it may mean that women are less likely to go to hospitals to get tested. A local outreach worker in Kabul, Gulnaz Janara, visits women in their homes and refers them to hospitals when they are sick. She has noticed that many women decide not to go to the hospital because of cultural restraints. Additionally, men will often not allow their wives to leave home alone. These barriers ultimately deprive women of receiving much-needed healthcare.
Gender inequality within the Afghan healthcare system is worrisome, but other nations also have disproportionate data regarding COVID-19 infections. As reported by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), women account for less than 30% of recorded COVID-19 infections in Chad, Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen and the Central African Republic. This is in sharp contrast to the U.N. Women’s claim that 51% of COVID-19 infections are in females. Stacey Mearns, a crisis health adviser with the IRC, says, “The numbers do not add up. What we are seeing is a situation in which women are potentially being left out of testing and their health deprioritized.”
An Overrun Healthcare System
Currently, Afghanistan cannot accurately test for COVID-19. Official numbers reveal only a fraction of the suspected total case count. The governor of Afghanistan’s capital city, Kabul, Yaqub Haidari, reports, “The number of infected is higher than the picture we have… In Kabul, it is likely more than a million people.” Afghanistan’s Health Minister says they collect about 20,000 samples daily, however they can only test 2,000 samples daily. Also, the Afghan government heavily relies on aid from global donors, who are all currently struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic as well.
Geographical limitations are another factor that makes testing the people of Afghanistan more difficult. According to Humanitarian Response, one-third of residents lack access to a medical center within a two hour trip of their home. The director of policy and planning for the public health ministry, Dr. Qadir Qadir notes, “In rural parts of the country, people often take strenuous journeys to get to testing facilities.”
Furthermore, labs and clinics have failed to adequately protect their staff from infection due to shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE). For example, at the major hospital in Kandahar city, roughly 100 of the 900 workers tested positive for COVID-19. In May, four technicians at one lab contracted COVID-19. Additionally, two different labs were briefly shut down due to contagion. Although aid groups have supplied 25,000 pieces of PPE as of late June, the country is still in need of 425,000 more.
Looking to the Future
Afghanistan has a long road ahead in dealing with this crisis. In the meantime, it is imperative that women begin receiving treatment for COVID-19. Furthermore, without the proper equipment, Afghanistan will not be able to accurately track the full count of COVID-19 infections across the country. On top of that, the nation has only 11 labs that can test barely 2,000 samples a day. Consequently, the cases recorded are a testament to how harshly the pandemic has crippled the Afghan healthcare system.
Furthermore, 80% of Afghans live near the poverty threshold, only compounding the current humanitarian disaster. Amid gender inequality in the Afghan healthcare system, millions are also at risk of a potential famine. Without a continued influx of aid to Afghanistan, the lives of countless people are in peril.
– Carlos Williams
Photo: Flickr