London concerned over Afghanistan's suspended medical education for girls

LONDON, Dec 7 (KUNA) -- The UK government is greatly concerned by reports of Talibanآ’s latest decision to suspend medical education for women and girls in Afghanistan, said the Foreign Office late Friday.
"We call, in the strongest terms, for the Taliban to allow women to access medical education. Such a draconian policy will severely undermine the provision of healthcare to women and children," it said in a press release.
Afghanistan is the only country imposing such restrictive policies on girlsآ’ education, this latest decision is a further tragic setback, it added.
It underlined that it would have serious long-term implications and threaten the health and lives of many Afghans who will be denied critical medical care in a country with high levels of maternal and infant mortality, warning of relevant serious consequences for generations to come.
"The international community must remain united in our firm opposition to continued Taliban restrictions. We remain committed in our efforts to lobby to this end and call on other countries to prioritise this issue. We will continue to engage with the women and girls of Afghanistan, as well as diaspora in the UK, to ensure their needs and priorities inform our policy and programming," it noted. (end) nbs.mt