Afghan Biographies

Borhani, Mrs. Dr. Nadera Hayat Burhani


Name Borhani, Mrs. Dr. Nadera Hayat Burhani
Ethnic backgr. Tajik
Date of birth
Function/Grade Ex Deputy Minister
History and Biodata

2. Previous Functions
Deputy Director for Productivity and Mother-Child Protection Department at the Ministry of Public Health(20090406),

3. Biodata:
Dr. Nadera Hayat Borhani hails from Samangan Province (also mentioned from Balkh Province). She was a member of the Afghan Constitutional Loya Jirga (Committee No.9). In Afghanistan Dr. Nadira Hayat Borhani worked during the former Taliban rule. She was one of the few doctors able to treat women. Dr. Borhani travelled by special car to the houses of female patients forbidden to leave their homes. Prior to her election as deputy minister, Dr. Burhani served as a physician for 15 years. Today she is the Afghan Deputy Minister of Public Health. "Nobody in Afghanistan has access to health facilities for cancer. It´s the same situation for the children, the men, the women, the elderly - nobody has access. Thirty years ago we had a centre for radiotherapy and a centre for diagnosis. But unfortunately during the war everything was destroyed and the infrastructure, the equipment, everything, was destroyed. So nearly we are starting at zero again". "When the doctor sees some sign or symptom that a patient has cancer – the option is to send the patient to Iran, or to go to Pakistan, or to India, as their economic situation allows. But Afghanistan has a low economic situation, and most of the people are very poor, so most of them don´t go". "I also worked in a provincial hospital for 15 years, so I met many patients with cancer but unfortunately we cannot help them. In my heart I want to work with my people - especially for the women and children. All over the world they are the most vulnerable, but especially in Afghanistan. As you know we were suffering during the war from bad culture, it´s not religious culture, but it´s a bad culture of war. Always women are under pressure: they don´t have the right to go to a health facility in rural areas without permission of the mother-in-law or father-in-law or husband. It´s changing day-by-day but unfortunately if the families don´t accept it, it´s difficult, so we need time to change our people. We want to educate them, to teach them that this is a woman´s right, a child´s right, a human right. For this change, it will take years and years".

She graduated MASTER OF PUBLIC POLICY AND MANAGEMENT at Melbourne University (20150729)

Burhani speaks Dari and English

Last Modified 2015-09-18
Established 2010-01-08