Health Minister: There Are Platforms That Produce Mental Illness

The Health Minister stated that there are platforms in Iran that, if they do not contribute to mental health, should at least refrain from producing illness. Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, on Saturday, November 24, explained further in an interview with the Fars News Agency, mentioning that although various institutions and councils are responsible for cultural issues, they do not yield appropriate results. Following recent serial acid attacks in Isfahan that injured several women, some domestic media attributed these incidents to statements made from official platforms against improper hijab. The Health Minister also noted that Iran lacks 40,000 hospital beds for patients with mental disorders, most of whom are young and poor. He expressed doubt that anything could be done for mental health under the current government, stating that previous ministers also did not take action, and that the parliament and insurance companies are not cooperating. Ghazizadeh Hashemi remarked that no practical measures have been taken regarding the mental health of Iranians, partly due to the public atmosphere which is not under the government's or the Health Ministry's control. On the other hand, in an interview with Mehr News Agency, in response to critics who believe that the Health Transformation Plan will face financial issues in the coming years, he disagreed. He stated that from the very beginning of the Health Transformation Plan, fringe groups have undermined it and continuously created doubts in the health sector. He expressed hope that the share of insurance companies from public funds would increase and that people would accept to pay higher premiums for better services. According to the Health Transformation Plan in Iran, the out-of-pocket medical expenses that were emphasized to be reduced since the Fourth Development Plan, which had been forgotten, are to be implemented gradually. Hassan Rouhani had identified the implementation of the Health Transformation Plan as the main program of his government for restructuring Iran's health system. The Health Minister previously stated that since the beginning of the health plan's implementation, people have only paid 7.5% of the hospitalization costs. Ghazizadeh Hashemi noted that since mid-May, visits to public hospitals have increased by 9%, attributing this rise to the implementation of the Health Transformation Plan in the country.