Former Head of Medical System Warns: Iranian Medicine is on the Brink of Collapse

The former head of the Medical System Organization warned about the state of medicine in the country, stating that Iran will soon face a collapse of its medical system. Mostafa Moein, in a note on his Telegram channel, identified chronic mismanagement in the Ministry of Health, lack of investment in public health, unscientific policymaking by the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, severe livelihood issues for medical staff, promotion of pseudoscience and superstition as Islamic medicine on state media, and the humiliation of the medical community leading to a mass exodus of doctors and nurses from Iran as the main problems facing the medical community. He added, 'For several months, I have repeatedly warned about the state of medicine in the country; although I do not expect a listening ear, a waking heart, compassion, or understanding of the importance of this disaster from the relevant officials.' The former head of the Medical System Organization also referred to the migration of Dr. Maziar Gholampour, a pediatric cardiac surgeon, as a 'medical and humanitarian catastrophe' and quoted him as saying, 'The salary for pediatric heart surgery in Iran is cheaper than changing oil and filters in a car, and the livelihood situation of doctors in the public sector is chaotic, which poses a serious risk of extinction for the pediatric cardiac surgery specialty in Iran.' The Iranian Medical System Organization confirmed on March 16 that with the departure of Dr. Maziar Gholampour, 638 children in need of heart surgery are now at risk. The head of the pediatric heart transplant department at Shahid Rajaei Hospital also stated that the country is currently facing a severe shortage of pediatric heart surgeons, and patients must wait 2 to 3 years for this surgery. The head of the Strategic Studies Center of the Presidency stated on January 7 that the root of migration in Iran is not economic; people are migrating due to a lack of a clear vision for the future. Iranian media reported in February of this year a 200% increase in requests from doctors for the necessary documents and letters for migration. The migration of 'three thousand nurses' from Iran last year; Abtahali: the situation is at 'crisis level.' The migration of surgical elites from Iran; the lives of hundreds of children needing heart surgery are at risk. Half of Iran's doctors are inclined to migrate. A newspaper's account of the difficult times for patients; drug dealers are playing with people's lives. Concerns about resident suicides and criticism of the Ministry of Health for keeping statistics confidential.