Ministry of Health Opposed the Dispatch of Abbas Kiarostami to France

The Deputy for Treatment at Iran University of Medical Sciences has announced that the Ministry of Health opposed sending Abbas Kiarostami to France for continued treatment, deeming the trip unnecessary. Reza Paydar stated this in an interview published on Wednesday, July 6, and mentioned that the Minister of Health had expressed his opposition to Kiarostami regarding this trip. Paydar added, "We did not agree with sending him abroad, as all necessary actions had been taken for him in the country, and this transfer was not necessary." According to this medical official, Abbas Kiarostami decided to travel abroad based on his own wishes, and the medical team and the Ministry of Health respected his decision. Paydar further noted that the Ministry of Health was preparing for the arrival of a urology specialist in Iran at Kiarostami's request, while he was transferred to France by air ambulance. Reza Paydar announced that the cause of Kiarostami's death in France was "severe cerebral hemorrhage." Abbas Kiarostami passed away on Tuesday, July 4, at the age of 76 after months of suffering from illness, and his body is set to be returned to Iran on Friday and buried in Lavasan per his wishes. Following reports of "medical negligence" during Kiarostami's treatment in Iran, ILNA news agency reported that a campaign has been formed to follow up on the treatment of this renowned Iranian director. According to ILNA, "The goal of this campaign is to monitor the treatment process of Abbas Kiarostami in Iran and France and to determine whether there was any negligence on the part of the medical team during the treatment of this director." The news agency added, "The founders of this campaign do not want to conclude that there was definitely negligence on the part of Kiarostami's medical team in Iran, but since Abbas Kiarostami was a national and global figure with many admirers, they believe it is their right to inquire about his treatment status." Hojjatollah Ayoubi, head of the Cinema Organization, also stated yesterday: "If there was any negligence in Abbas Kiarostami's medical file, the Ministry of Health will address this issue itself, and there is no need for us to pursue the case in the Ministry of Culture." Meanwhile, Mohsen Tadinfar, head of Jam Hospital, also mentioned: "During the treatment of Abbas Kiarostami, many criticisms were raised regarding the negligence of Jam Hospital in this regard." According to ILNA, he added: "The main subject of criticism was the treatment method of Kiarostami and the initial procedure of removing a polyp sample from the intestine, which caused an infection in Kiarostami." Abbas Kiarostami, as stated by the Deputy for Treatment at Iran University of Medical Sciences, underwent four surgeries since late last year to prevent cancer progression. Following these surgeries and their complications, Kiarostami was in critical condition in April, and the publication of news regarding his severe condition led to the intervention of officials from the Ministry of Health in the medical file of this famous filmmaker. Reza Paydar explained that the Ministry of Health had selected a team of specialized doctors for Kiarostami's treatment, and all treatment stages were checked with them. Paydar added that he personally visited Abbas Kiarostami more than 30 times, and the Minister of Health also visited him multiple times and was kept informed about his treatment process. Meanwhile, Reza Paydar, Deputy for Treatment at Iran University of Medical Sciences, had denied in April that Abbas Kiarostami had gastrointestinal cancer, stating that according to the latest pathology, his illness was diagnosed as a polyp in the intestine, and accordingly, a part of his intestine with a growth was removed. Abbas Kiarostami's family also referred to his illness as a polyp in the intestine and stated that Kiarostami's medical records indicate he was not suffering from cancer. Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi, Minister of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education, also stated in late April after visiting Abbas Kiarostami at Jam Hospital in Tehran that the reason for this famous Iranian filmmaker's hospitalization was a gastrointestinal issue and made no mention of cancer. Reports indicate that Kiarostami's body will be transferred to Tehran on Friday. Kiarostami is the only Iranian filmmaker to have received the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, which he won for the film "Taste of Cherry" in 1997. Besides cinema, he was active in other artistic fields, including poetry, photography, installation, music, graphic design, and painting. Abbas Kiarostami was born in 1940 in Tehran and was accepted into the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran, where he focused more on painting and graphic design. The Guardian published a list in 2011 of the 40 greatest contemporary filmmakers in the world, in which Abbas Kiarostami ranked sixth, above many renowned cinema figures.