Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-27
**Lead**
The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has issued a directive banning several types of eye surgery on the grounds that they violate Islamic law, effectively shutting down a major sight-saving programme supported by British charities and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. The ruling, delivered in writing to hospital directors in Kabul, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif, prohibits procedures involving corneal transplants, intraocular lens implants and certain laser treatments, citing concerns over ‘alteration of God’s creation’ and the use of donor tissue from non-Muslim sources. The ban has already forced the suspension of mobile eye camps that had been scheduled to treat tens of thousands of patients across rural provinces, many of whom suffer from cataracts and corneal blindness.
**Contexto**
The directive is the latest in a series of restrictions imposed by the Taliban since their return to power in August 2021, targeting healthcare practices they consider incompatible with their interpretation of Sharia. Previous edicts have barred female doctors from treating male patients, restricted the movement of female health workers and banned the use of certain vaccines. The current ban specifically targets ophthalmology because of the widespread use of donated corneas — often sourced from international eye banks — and the implantation of artificial lenses, which some clerics have argued constitute an impermissible modification of the human body.
British involvement in Afghan eye care has been substantial. Organisations such as **Orbis International**, **Sightsavers** and the **Royal College of Ophthalmologists** have run training programmes and surgical camps in Afghanistan for more than a decade, often with funding from the UK’s aid budget. The Foreign Office confirmed that several grants had been paused pending clarification from the Taliban, but declined to specify the total value of the frozen funds. Industry estimates suggest that British charities have contributed several million pounds annually to eye health in Afghanistan, covering equipment, training and the procurement of donor corneas from UK and US eye banks.
The ban comes at a time when Afghanistan’s healthcare system is already under severe strain. According to the World Health Organization, more than half of the country’s 2,200 health facilities have either closed or reduced services since the Taliban takeover, largely due to funding cuts and the departure of international medical staff. Eye disease is particularly prevalent: an estimated 1.5 million Afghans suffer from cataracts, and corneal blindness affects tens of thousands, many of them children and young adults. Without timely surgery, these conditions lead to permanent, avoidable blindness.
**Analise**
The economic implications of the ban extend far beyond the immediate loss of sight. Blindness in a low-income, largely agrarian society imposes a heavy burden on families and public finances. A blind adult in Afghanistan is often unable to work, care for children or contribute to household income, pushing already vulnerable families deeper into poverty. The World Bank has estimated that untreated blindness costs developing economies billions of dollars annually in lost productivity. For Afghanistan, where the economy has contracted by nearly a third since 2021, the additional cost of preventable blindness could be devastating.
British charities now face a difficult choice: comply with the ban and abandon patients, or attempt to negotiate with a regime that has shown little willingness to compromise on religious rulings. Some organisations have already begun shifting resources to neighbouring Pakistan, where Afghan refugees can access treatment, but this is a costly and logistically complex solution. The UK government, for its part, is under pressure from humanitarian groups to use diplomatic channels to secure an exemption, but the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice has so far refused to meet with international health officials. The ban also threatens to undermine years of investment in training Afghan ophthalmologists, many of whom have completed fellowships in the UK and now find themselves unable to practise the techniques they were taught.
**Fontes**
- Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (official directive, October 2026) - Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, UK Government (statement on paused grants, October 2026) - World Health Organization, Afghanistan Health Situation Report (September 2026) - Orbis International, programme update on Afghanistan (October 2026) - Sightsavers, briefing on eye health in Afghanistan (2025) - World Bank, ‘The Economic Impact of Blindness in Low-Income Countries’ (2024)