Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-28
**Lead**
In a move that has stunned the international medical community, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) has formally prohibited a range of ophthalmic surgical procedures, branding them as ‘un-Islamic’. The decree, issued in late October from Kabul, specifically targets operations involving corneal transplants, certain types of retinal surgery, and the use of donor tissue. Medical officials in the UK, who have long supported eye care programmes in Afghanistan, warn that the ban could condemn tens of thousands of patients to irreversible blindness, severing a lifeline of sight-saving care that has been sustained by British charities for over a decade.
**Contexto**
The ban, which has not been published in full but was confirmed by multiple hospital administrators in Herat and Kabul, stems from a theological ruling by the Taliban’s religious council. The council reportedly concluded that the transplantation of human tissue—including corneas from deceased donors—violates Islamic principles regarding the sanctity of the body after death. Additionally, procedures that involve the use of porcine-derived materials in certain surgical lubricants or sutures have been singled out as ritually impure. The decree applies to all state-run and private hospitals, with inspectors from the PVPV now conducting spot checks in operating theatres.
Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of blindness in the world, with an estimated 1.5 million people suffering from severe visual impairment, according to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Corneal disease, often caused by untreated infections, vitamin A deficiency, and trauma, is a leading cause. Before the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, a network of hospitals supported by international NGOs, including the UK-based charity Orbis International and the Fred Hollows Foundation, performed thousands of corneal transplants each year. These operations rely entirely on donated human tissue, often sourced from eye banks in Iran, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom.
The ban is the latest in a series of restrictive edicts targeting healthcare. Since August 2021, the Taliban has barred female health workers from attending medical training, restricted women’s access to male doctors, and shut down numerous primary care clinics run by female-led NGOs. The ophthalmic surgery ban, however, marks the first time the regime has directly prohibited a specific surgical discipline on theological grounds. British ophthalmologists who have trained Afghan surgeons note that the ban will disproportionately affect children and young adults, who are most susceptible to blinding corneal infections.
**Analise**
The implications of this decree extend far beyond Afghanistan’s borders. The UK has been a major donor to eye health programmes in the region, with the Department for International Development (now part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) having allocated millions of pounds to trachoma elimination and corneal grafting initiatives between 2015 and 2021. British surgeons have also volunteered in Afghan hospitals through organisations such as the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. The ban effectively nullifies years of surgical training and infrastructure investment, as the procedures that local doctors were taught to perform are now illegal.
For the United Kingdom, the ban raises profound ethical and diplomatic questions. British aid agencies are now grappling with whether they can continue to supply medical equipment and donor corneas to Afghan hospitals if those supplies will be confiscated or left unused. There is also a growing humanitarian concern: as the ban takes effect, the number of preventable blindness cases will rise sharply, potentially creating a new wave of disability in a country already crippled by poverty and drought. UK-based charities are exploring the possibility of establishing cross-border surgical camps in Pakistan or Tajikistan, but such efforts are logistically complex and require Taliban approval for patient travel.
Furthermore, the ban underscores a broader trend of the Taliban’s increasing interference in medical practice. By prioritising a narrow interpretation of religious law over established medical evidence, the regime is isolating itself further from international health norms. The WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness have both issued statements expressing deep concern, but their ability to influence policy in Kabul is severely limited. For British readers, this story is a stark reminder that the gains made in global health over the past two decades can be reversed overnight by ideological decree, and that the fight against preventable blindness is far from over.
**Fontes**
This report is based on information from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Data on Visual Impairment, statements from the Fred Hollows Foundation, Orbis International, and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (UK). Additional context was drawn from verified reports by the BBC Persian Service and the Afghan news outlet Tolo News, which have documented the PVPV’s decrees. No interviews were conducted; all information is sourced from publicly available, verifiable records and official statements from the aforementioned organisations.