Iraqchi: Supply of 30 Types of Medicine Still Faces Challenges

The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, in remarks referring to the resolution of issues regarding the supply of dozens of types of medicine following the implementation of the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, announced that the supply of nearly "30 types of medicine" still faces challenges. In statements published by the state news agency IRNA on Saturday evening, Abbas Araqchi referred to the problems of medicine supply during the economic sanctions against Iran, stating that during the years of sanctions, all medicines in the country were supplied "through intermediaries." This Iranian Foreign Ministry official added that "although medicine was ostensibly not sanctioned, in reality, Western companies and banks refused to supply the necessary medicine, and our hands were tied in the pharmaceutical sector." Araqchi expressed happiness that after the JCPOA, these problems have been "largely" resolved, "so that out of 300 sanctioned medicines, only less than 30 types still face issues, and the rest are supplied directly from the main sellers." He added that the supply of these medicines is "even 50 percent cheaper than before." Pharmaceutical and medical items have never been on the list of US and European sanctions against Iran, but the imposition of restrictions on banking transactions with Iran has made it difficult to procure medicines and medical equipment from foreign producers. In May 2013, in the final months of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported that based on findings from a new study, the "combination of Ahmadinejad's government policies and international sanctions" had caused an increasing number of Iranians to face difficulties in securing food and medicine. This report described the situation of medicine and medical equipment shortages at that time as "critical," reminding that Iran relies on foreign sources for medical equipment, raw materials for medicines, and drugs for specific diseases such as cancer, MS, and hemophilia, but "due to banking sanctions and Iran's expulsion from the SWIFT network," there was no way to purchase from foreign producers. This issue was also mentioned in a research report by the Woodrow Wilson Center in the United States, which concluded that international sanctions were "the most important reason for the shortage of medicine in Iran." At the same time, some official sources in Iran have reported that the method of allocating currency for medicine imports during Ahmadinejad's presidency created problems in supplying the necessary medicines for the country. In this regard, in October 2015, the head of the Consumer Rights Protection Organization mentioned the issue of importing cars with medicine currency during Ahmadinejad's presidency, stating that "after about three years, no report has been published on how this issue was addressed and the dimensions of the violations that occurred." The issue of importing cars with medicine currency was one of the disputes between Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, the then Minister of Health, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, ultimately leading to the dismissal of the Health Minister. Nevertheless, in August 2013, in the final days of Ahmadinejad's presidency and months before reaching a nuclear agreement, the US Treasury Department announced that it had expanded the list of humanitarian exports to Iran and would facilitate the financial payment mechanisms for these goods. A year later, while nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers were ongoing, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US officials, that the US was encouraging European companies to meet Iran's humanitarian import needs. In this context, "US negotiations with European companies for the export of medicine and medical equipment to Iran" show that the US is "encouraging" European companies to sell medicine to Iran. The proposed Health Minister stated: the medicine problem will be resolved by the end of the year. The US has granted permission to facilitate the export of medical and pharmaceutical equipment to Iran. "Sanctions are the most important reason for the shortage of medicine in Iran." "The increase in disability among hemophiliac patients" in Iran is due to the shortage of medicine. Sanctions and rising currency prices have plunged medicine in Iran into a crisis.