Iran's Health Minister: Shortage of 100,000 Hospital Beds

The statistics provided by Iran's Health Minister indicate a shortage of 100,000 hospital beds in the country and the necessity to replace tens of thousands of worn-out beds. According to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi stated on Thursday evening, November 21, that "we currently have a shortage of 100,000 hospital beds nationwide, while more than half of the existing beds are also worn out." Mr. Hashemi noted that there are currently "90,000 hospital beds in the country, of which 53 percent are worn out and need replacement." Iranian health officials have previously warned about the shortage of hospital beds in the country and the ministry's inability to provide them. Last month, the Deputy Minister of Health stated that the country needs about 80,000 additional hospital beds, while the ministry can only provide 2,000 beds annually, meaning it would take 40 years to resolve this issue. Mr. Ghazizadeh Hashemi also emphasized the need for private sector investment in this area and called on the government and the Islamic Consultative Assembly to create conditions for this. In his remarks on Thursday night, the Health Minister also reported a shortage of 200,000 nurses in the country and addressed issues such as the lack of general practitioners and specialists in deprived areas and villages. He stated, "We have many structural problems in the health sector, and it seems that the health sector has been a low priority for various governments since the ninth priority onward." According to statistics released by the World Health Organization, Iran ranks 106th in the world with a life expectancy of 73.5 years. Access to medical and healthcare services is one of the effective factors in the life expectancy index.