Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities have ordered doctors to stop performing corneal transplant operations, arguing that the procedure is incompatible with Islamic teachings. The decision threatens to deprive hundreds of people of treatment that could restore their sight, according to doctors who spoke to The Telegraph.
The suspension has disrupted a medical assistance programme that had recently expanded into Afghanistan, bringing free donor corneas and training for local specialists. Doctors warn that patients who have lost their vision through explosions, physical injuries and workplace accidents now face growing uncertainty over whether they will receive the treatment they need.
Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban administration has introduced a range of restrictions affecting public life and access to services. The latest directive adds to concerns about the availability of specialised healthcare in a country whose medical infrastructure has been weakened by decades of conflict.
Patients face an uncertain future
Doctors say the demand for corneal transplantation in Afghanistan is substantial, particularly among people whose eyes have been damaged by violence or accidents.
Noor Zaman Hashim, a doctor at Noor Eye Hospital in Kabul, said his team had performed 90 corneal transplant operations in recent months before the programme was halted following instructions from the Taliban authorities.
The hospital had a growing waiting list, with many of those seeking treatment being young men and women. Some had suffered injuries in explosions, while others had lost their sight in accidents involving welding work or other physical trauma.
Hashim said decades of violence had severely damaged Afghanistan’s healthcare system, leaving the country without enough ophthalmologists to meet demand. The shortage of suitable donor corneas available locally creates another major obstacle for patients requiring surgery.
He said the authorities had issued the order verbally and that medical staff were reluctant to disobey it because they feared severe punishment.
The suspension leaves patients who were already awaiting surgery facing an indefinite delay. For those whose sight could potentially be restored, losing access to treatment may affect their ability to work, study and manage everyday activities independently.
International assistance programme disrupted
The initiative was supported by the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA), a charitable organisation based in the US state of Illinois.
Since 2017, APPNA has supplied corneas free of charge for transplantation procedures in Pakistan. The donor tissue is obtained through eye donation and used in operations for patients considered suitable for the procedure.
Earlier this year, the organisation expanded its programme beyond Pakistan to Afghanistan. The initiative created the opportunity to carry out more than 150 corneal transplant operations in the country. To support the effort, three Afghan ophthalmologists received specialist training in Peshawar, Pakistan.
The programme was intended to improve access to treatment while developing the skills of Afghan medical professionals. Its suspension, only a few months after the expansion, has interrupted an effort to address a significant unmet healthcare need.
Dr Fawad Zafar, head of APPNA’s cornea programme and the US-based Zafar Mir Foundation, said the organisation had helped around 10,000 people through its free cornea initiative in Pakistan since 2017.
He said the expansion into Afghanistan had been prompted by the large number of people who needed corneal transplants. However, the Taliban authorities’ directive had seriously disrupted the programme before it could reach more patients.
Why corneal transplantation matters
The cornea is the transparent outer layer at the front of the eye. It helps focus light as it enters the eye, playing an essential role in clear
