Afghanistan's de facto authorities have made the alarming decision to ban women from studying nursing and midwifery.1 This policy, along with the broader ban on girls completing education beyond grade six, has severe social and economic consequences.1 According to UNICEF, the ban on secondary education for girls alone cost the Afghan economy at least US$500 million in 2022. Allowing the 3 million girls from that year's cohort to complete secondary education could have contributed $5·4 billion to the economy.2 The decision also undermines an already fragile health-care system by blocking one of the few remaining paths for women to contribute to health care.

Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally, with one Afghan woman dying every 2 hours from pregnancy-related complications.3 A severe shortage of midwives and nurses—roles traditionally filled by women—makes this crisis worse. The UN estimates that Afghanistan needs at least 18 000 additional midwives to meet basic maternal care needs.4 By barring women from nursing and midwifery education, the authorities have effectively cut off the pipeline for these key health-care workers. With no women medical professionals, Afghan women face barriers to accessing care, as men cannot legally serve as midwives and cultural norms prevent women from seeking men doctors.4 This policy will force many women to forgo care, resulting in preventable deaths and worsening the maternal health crisis.