Need for rapid scaling-up of medical education in Afghanistan: Challenges and recommendations

Abstract

Numerous challenges have crippled the Afghan healthcare system. The nearly half-a-century-long war - that continues to this day - has had profound effects on all aspects of Afghans' lives, medical education being no exception. However, Afghans have partially revived their healthcare and medical education systems recently, and updated medical curricula and teaching methods, with international support [1]. The quality of medical education has, however, been a growing concern in the country [2]. We outline the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) perspective on Afghan medical education policy, envisioning the rapid scaling-up of medical education facilities, describe the evolving challenges faced in the current economic and political collapse, and put forward some recommendations.