The Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have ordered female patients, caretakers and staff to wear a burka – a full Islamic veil - to enter public health facilities in the western city of Herat, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says.
MSF said the restrictions came into effect from 5 November.
"These restrictions further impede women's lives and limit women's access to health care," Sarah Chateau, the agency's programme manager in Afghanistan, told the BBC. She said even those "in need of urgent medical care" had been affected.
A spokesman for the Taliban government has denied MSF's account. Reports say restrictions have been partially relaxed since the alarm was raised.
MSF, which supports paediatric services at Herat Regional Hospital, said it had observed a 28% drop in admissions of patients whose conditions were urgent during the first few days of the new enforcement.
