The French hospital in Kabul continues to operate despite the return of the Taliban – teller report

It is on the outskirts of the capital of Afghanistan that this health center was set up fifteen years ago by the French NGO La Chaîne de l’Espoir. The Kabul Mother and Child Medical Institute is unique in the country and provides medical expertise while the Afghan health system remains in poor shape.

And patients, like Latifa, don’t hesitate to come from afar. “I come from Mazâr-e Charîf [400 km dans le nord de l’Afghanistan, ndlr], my little one was hit by a car. They couldn’t cure him there, so I came here “, she explains, sitting on the floor, her son in her arms while waiting for her meeting.

Despite the return of the Taliban, the establishment continues to function. Women in the medical sector were thus allowed to continue their activity in the hospital. A relief for Dr. Bachir, director of the establishment. “Without nurses, without female doctors, without other female staff … how would the hospital function without them?”, wonders the person in charge.

But this authorization is not enough to reassure Shiva. “On the road, when I come to work in the morning, I am so afraid that the Taliban will stop me and hurt me. Because I am not married and I no longer have my father.”, she underlines, anxious. 64 doctors have also left the country to flee the establishment of the regime. Their absence is sorely felt today, when nearly 210 children are awaiting an operation.

However, the hospital remains open to all Afghans, without social or political distinction. In one building, the NGO La Chaîne de l’Espoir welcomes very poor families, and even the Taliban seek the knowledge of doctors at the hospital. “We brought in two fighters, they were injured in the fighting in Ghazni. We were told that here they would be well looked after, so we came.”, assures a group of Taliban crossed at the exit of the establishment.

However, the functioning of this hospital center remains a challenge. In Afghanistan, drugs, but also electricity and cash are seriously running out.