On Oct 7, 2023, Afghanistan experienced an earthquake of 6·3 magnitude, subsequently followed by numerous aftershocks. This earthquake was the most powerful seismic activity to affect the northwestern region of Afghanistan since 1978, as reported by the United States Geological Survey. According to the Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan, as of Oct 8, 2023, the earthquake had claimed the lives of more than 2000 individuals and caused injury to many more.
These earthquakes have already led to significant strain on Afghanistan's health-care infrastructure, particularly during a period under Taliban rule when females are barred from pursuing education and employment in health-care settings, and female aid workers in non-governmental organisations are banned and therefore cannot help in humanitarian crises such as an earthquake
