Taliban leader Akhundzada has approved the establishment of a faculty of “prophetic traditional medicine” under Kabul University of Medical Sciences, the Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education said.

The ministry said the new faculty was intended to meet academic, educational and research needs in the field of traditional medicine.

Traditional medicine has been widely practised in Afghanistan for decades, largely outside formal regulatory and educational frameworks. The absence of unified training, oversight and research systems has meant the sector, despite its widespread use, has lacked official recognition within the country’s healthcare system.

Taliban have previously said they are seeking to organise and standardise traditional medicine. Taliban officials have referred to efforts raised during a global meeting of the World Health Organization in India, where they said it aimed to align Afghanistan’s traditional medicine practices with internationally recognized standards.
The Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health has said the goal is to formally integrate traditional medicine into Afghanistan’s healthcare system.