Allegations of deep institutional corruption have surfaced targeting the de facto Taliban administration’s Ministry of Public Health, with reports claiming that exorbitant bribes are being extorted from female medical students seeking enrollment in specialized training programs.
According to statements by social affairs writer Zerwan Zabardast, administrative corruption across de facto bodies in provinces including Kabul, Kunduz, Samangan, Balkh, Jowzjan, and Faryab has reached unprecedented levels over the past two years. Zabardast claimed that female medical graduates seeking entry into post-graduate specialization programs are being forced to pay bribes reaching up to $10,000.
The allegations emerge against the backdrop of sweeping systemic restrictions imposed by the de facto authorities on women’s higher education and professional employment. While female healthcare workers and medical students represent an increasingly critical lifeline for Afghanistan’s deteriorating public health sector—where women face prohibitions from seeing male practitioners—access to advanced medical training has grown heavily restricted and opaque.
Independent verification regarding the exact scale of the alleged financial demands, the number of impacted students, or the structural collection methods remains unavailable. The de facto Ministry of Public Health has not yet issued an official response to the claims.