Afghanistan: Pregnant women and babies attacked in Kabul hospital

Our staff of midwives, doctors, cleaners, nurses, cooks, watchmen, and administrative staff provide invaluable services to women in need of maternal care, especially for those with complicated deliveries.

For the time being, medical activities in the maternity ward of Dasht-e-Barchi are suspended—but not closed—leaving people in the region with fewer options for maternity care for the time being. Patients were evacuated to surrounding hospitals and staff were brought to safety.

More than ever, MSF stands in solidarity with the Afghan people.

MSF opened the 55-bed maternity hospital in Dasht-e-Barchi hospital in 2014. Since the beginning of the year, 5,401 babies have been delivered at the maternity hospital, and 524 babies were treated in the newborn unit and kangaroo mother-care unit for critical care.

MSF first started working in Afghanistan in 1980 but was absent from the country between 2004 and 2009 after the killing of five staff in Badghis province. In 2019, MSF had seven projects in six provinces of the country and undertook more than 100,000 outpatient consultations, assisted more than 60,000 deliveries, and performed almost 10,000 surgical interventions. For our work in Afghanistan, MSF does not accept funding from any government. Instead, the organization relies entirely on donations from the public.