Continued Protests by Nurses in Several Cities in Iran; 'Our Patience Has Run Out'

More than a month after the start of protests by dissatisfied nurses, based on images shared on social media, the nurses' protests against poor living conditions and difficult working conditions continue with gatherings in the cities of Isfahan, Qom, and Kashan. The Coordinating Council of Nurses' Protests announced on Saturday, September 17, with the release of images from the protests in Isfahan, Qom, and Kashan, that the officials of the Islamic Republic have ignored 'our demands and requests that we have repeatedly shouted clearly.' The nurses chanted slogans such as 'We, who are the symbol of patience, our patience has run out,' 'We have heard many promises, but we have seen no response,' and 'Where is our tariff? It is in your pockets.' This council reported that in response to the widespread protests and strikes by nurses, officials have only paid back wages 'in a trickle and with tax deductions and insignificant amounts in some centers and cities.' This comes despite Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, announcing on Saturday night, September 10, in his first live television interview, that 'we are in the process of solving the problems of educators, nurses, pharmacists, and farmers.' Mr. Pezeshkian further stated that they had 'received permission from Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, to withdraw a certain amount from the National Development Fund and settle some debts.' However, he did not clarify how much of this amount would be used to pay the nurses' demands. Mohammad Raeis-Zadeh, the head of the Medical System Organization, also mentioned on Saturday in an interview with Rokna that 'the income conditions of nurses employed in hospitals and those introduced to hospitals by staffing companies should be the same.' Mr. Raeis-Zadeh pointed out that more than 'three thousand nurses and doctors' emigrate from the country annually, stating that 'the healthcare staff is reluctant to work in hospitals due to the difficult working conditions and economic problems caused by inflation.' The new wave of nurses' protests began on July 13 with protests and strikes by nurses in Shiraz hospitals and has spread to other cities. Nurses are protesting both the lack of attention to their demands and the harsh working conditions, including 'mandatory overtime with very low wages, exhausting work accompanied by insults and threats' in the workplace. The scope of these protests reached Tehran, the capital, on Wednesday, August 31, where a group of Tehran nurses gathered in front of the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education building. Previously, Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi, the Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, stated that the government owes nurses 7,500 billion tomans.