New Challenge for Implementing 'Childbearing' Policy; Shortage of 20,000 Midwives in Iran

A health advisor to the Minister of Health and Medical Education of the Islamic Republic announced that the country's health network is facing a shortage of 20,000 midwives, citing the 'Youth Population and Family Support Law.' Shahla Khosravi emphasized in an interview with ISNA news agency that 12,000 midwives are needed in the treatment sector and 8,000 in the health sector. Khosravi identified the legal requirement for midwives to be female as one of the challenges in attracting them, stating that since midwifery personnel must be women, there are specific difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff in 'deprived and less developed areas.' The shortage of midwives in the Islamic Republic's healthcare network has intensified as the government has actively pursued policies encouraging childbearing and population growth in recent years. Since November 2013, when Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, spoke about the necessity of increasing Iran's population to 150 million, officials have promoted childbearing through various means, including offering banking facilities, granting military exemptions, changing textbook content, utilizing media, and installing advertising billboards throughout cities. The shortage of midwives has occurred at a time when this group has also adopted a migratory approach. In this regard, Mansour Jafari Namin, head of the Coordination Council of the Medical System, announced on May 6, 2023, that over 800 midwives migrated abroad in the year 1401 (2022-2023). The migration of healthcare staff and doctors has intensified in recent years, and experts have warned about its consequences. Analysts believe that the continuation of this trend will lead to a shortage of specialized and efficient personnel in Iran's healthcare network in the future, making the recruitment of foreign doctors inevitable. In this context, the Farhikhtegan newspaper, affiliated with Azad University, reported on June 19, 2023, that 'according to information we have obtained, the number of doctors and specialists migrating in 1401 has reached over 6,500, of which nearly 2,300 are specialists.' According to this newspaper, the number of migrating doctors and specialists in 1398 (2019-2020) was about 2,500, with nearly 611 specialists among the healthcare migrants. The report emphasized that the danger of doctor migration has long been sounded, and this steep and rapid upward trend raises further concerns. The report stresses that a country seeking to become a hub for health tourism will certainly struggle to meet the needs of its own population with this trend of doctor and specialist migration and the exit of capable personnel, let alone attract health tourists' satisfaction.