KABUL: The Taliban government in Afghanistan has ordered doctors to stop performing corneal transplant surgeries, describing the procedure as contrary to Islamic teachings, according to media reports.
Afghan doctor Noor Zaman Hashim warned that the ban could deprive hundreds of patients of treatment to restore their eyesight. He said 90 corneal transplant operations had been performed at a hospital in Kabul before the restriction was imposed.
According to the reports, Taliban authorities issued the directive verbally, instructing doctors to suspend the procedures.
Meanwhile, a US-based charitable organization has urged the Taliban government to lift the ban, warning that the restriction had disrupted its humanitarian programme aimed at helping people with corneal blindness.
The reported decision has raised concerns about access to sight-restoring treatment for patients in Afghanistan.
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