![\"iran-doctors-college-students-june2021](\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/iran-doctors-college-students-june2021-1.jpg\" "\\"iran-doctors-college-students-june2021")
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The policies of the ruling clerics in Iran have had a devastating impact on the middle class over recent years, causing it to dwindle significantly, while poverty has expanded across the entire society. What was once considered as an issue affecting only unskilled workers and suburban residents of metropolises, has now spread to include even physicians, who are struggling under the weight of economic hardship. Reports from state-controlled media outlets provide a glimpse into this distressing reality.<\/p>\n
On August 1, the state-run ILNA news agency<\/a> reported the suicide of a medical resident, highlighting a troubling trend of 13 suicide cases among residents in one year. The report emphasized that residents, often earning meager wages without insurance coverage, are compelled to undertake grueling work with little hope for a better future.<\/p>\n Just two days later, other state-run outlets revealed the suicides of two nurses in a single day in Kermanshah. Poverty and work-related pressures were cited as the factors contributing to this tragic event.<\/p>\n In a report published on August 10, the Shargh daily disclosed<\/a> the migration of “16,000 physicians from the country” in the past three years alone. The state-run newspaper acknowledged, “According to experts, concerns about the educational and occupational future of their children, heavy economic pressures, income limitations, societal issues, and cultural challenges alongside demanding work environments in medical centers and universities are among the most significant reasons for the departure of healthcare professionals.”<\/p>\n Implicitly, “Shargh” conceded that the crisis was merely due to neglecting the livelihood and employment of physicians, stating, “If a physician isn’t recognized economically, financially, and socially, will they have any motivation to serve?”<\/p>\n On July 19, the news website Sahebkhabar reported<\/a> that in recent years, 16,000 physicians have left Iran while another 4,027 physicians are currently prepared for migration.<\/p>\n Furthermore, even state officials, despite attempting to manipulate and downplay the numbers, are forced to acknowledge a portion of the bitter reality. On August 23, 2021, Mohammad Bagher Heydari<\/a>, the head of the Medical Council in Kermanshah Province, acknowledged that “70% of physicians are below the poverty line.”<\/p>\n Speaking to the government-affiliated ISNA news agency, he stated, “These low incomes have led to many general practitioners lacking the motivation to continue practicing medicine, and this issue is even observed in certain specialized fields.”<\/p>\n One year later, on May 24, 2022, Javan newspaper<\/a> admitted to the meager income of physicians. The state-affiliated newspaper quoted a physician, stating, “A fee of 25,000 tomans for a general practitioner is not reasonable given the rising inflation. In the best-case scenario, only 12,500 tomans of that fee actually go to the physician. And if we consider ten million tomans as the threshold for the official poverty line of a monthly income, all general practitioners are below the poverty line.<\/p>\n Deputy Health Minister Acknowledges #Iran<\/a>\u2019s Doctor Shortage — NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) July 1, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nMigration of Physicians<\/h3>\n
Physicians under the poverty line<\/h3>\n
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Iran is suffering from a "serious shortage of physicians\u201d, according to the Deputy Health Minister, as thousands of local doctors have emigrated.https:\/\/t.co\/RZHyLcW9pQ<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ojyVeFdX7h<\/a><\/p>\n