Date: 02/07/1404
Local sources reported to Afghanistan International on Wednesday that the Taliban’s Vice and Virtue officers in districts 2, 4, and 11 of Kandahar city have instructed dental clinics that male dentists are not permitted to treat female patients.
According to the sources, on Wednesday, the officers removed female patients from clinics because no female dentists were available.
The head of a dental clinic in Kandahar, who requested anonymity, said:
"It was around 10 a.m. when the Vice and Virtue officers arrived. They removed the female patients from the clinic and told us that from now on, male doctors are not allowed to treat women’s dental issues."
Another source stated that the officers warned male dentists that they would be imprisoned if they disobeyed the order.
This is not the first time the Taliban have imposed restrictions on women’s access to healthcare services. Previously, in Sunbula of last year, the Taliban’s Department of Guidance and Public Health in Kandahar issued a directive requiring health centers to ensure that female employees wear a specific type of hijab and that they be accompanied by a male guardian (mahram) when commuting to and from work.

This entry documents the enforcement of restrictions on women’s access to healthcare in Kandahar by the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. According to local sources, Vice and Virtue officers instructed dental clinics that male dentists are prohibited from treating female patients and removed women from clinics where no female practitioners were available. Clinic staff were warned of imprisonment for non-compliance. The measure reflects the imposition of gender-based segregation in healthcare provision, resulting in barriers to access where female medical personnel are limited, and demonstrates the extension of morality-based regulations into essential health services.