'Factors Hindering Access to and Utilization of Maternal Healthcare in Afghanistan under the Taliban Regime: Lessons, Recommended Solutions, and Our Role as Global Citizens'

The Global Studies Seminar presents “Factors Hindering Access to and Utilization of Maternal Healthcare in Afghanistan under the Taliban Regime: Lessons, Recommended Solutions, and Our Role as Global Citizens” Denison University’s Assistant Professor of Global Health Sahra Ibrahimi.

This interactive and engaging seminar, led by Ibrahimi (born in Afghanistan), presents a study that identifies the factors hindering access to and utilization of maternal and child healthcare in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime, along with recommended solutions. We will also explore our role as global citizens in advocating for and shaping international policy. For this study, Afghan midwives, physicians, and mothers were recruited and interviewed. Data analysis revealed four primary consequences of the political unrest in Afghanistan that have exacerbated barriers to healthcare access: a) Taliban restrictions on women’s access to education and mobility, reducing the number of female healthcare providers and mothers’ access to healthcare; b) Increased poverty, which has led to women skipping regular perinatal visits due to out-of-pocket expenses; c) Deterioration of health service delivery, including reduced access to medicines and poor health financing resulting from the evacuation of several donor organizations and doctors, lack of health insurance, and poor health governance; d) Increased misinformation and harmful practices, such as seeking medical advice from clergymen instead of doctors. Using the WHO Health Systems Framework, we draw lessons and recommend solutions. This study can inform the international community in pressuring the Taliban to protect women’s rights to healthcare and education. It can also guide global aid programs in improving the healthcare system and increasing accessibility, ultimately saving mothers and their babies in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 5. 

Ibrahimi collaborates with Abt Global (a consulting and research firm) on research projects funded by USAID and implemented in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her research and publications encompasses maternal and child health, health systems, social determinants of health, and the role of self-awareness in health and education. She was the recipient of the People’s Choice award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for one of her research projects. In 2023, the University of Maryland honored her with the Women of Influence Award. 

Ibrahimi received her Doctor of Philosophy in Maternal and Child Health from the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland (UMD) in College Park, where she also taught global and public health courses. Prior to completing her master’s in public health (MPH), she worked as a Technical Project Officer at Abt Global on the Health Financing and Governance project, a five- year global initiative awarded by USAID and implemented in 40 countries. She is also an inductee of the Gamma Zeta chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. 

Ibrahimi was born in Afghanistan and came to the United States for high school. She graduated from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and fulfillment of pre-med requirements in 2017. To learn more, check out her website.