Special Working Group Meeting; Suicide Rates Among Resident Population Up to 5 Times Higher Than Other Groups

Following numerous concerns about the rising suicide rates among healthcare workers in Iran, a special working group was formed with the approval of the Supreme Council of Medical System, including the head of the Medical System, a representative from the Ministry of Health, the president of the Iranian Psychiatric Association, and several experts. During the meeting, it was reported that an examination of the mental health status of 253 medical residents shows that the suicide rate among the resident population is between 3.1 to 5 times higher than other groups. The head of the Iranian Suicide Prevention Association also noted that the average prevalence of suicidal thoughts among medical students in Iran has surpassed the global average, rising from a global rate of 1.11% to 4.24%. Furthermore, male doctors are 40% more likely to have suicidal thoughts than the general population, while female doctors are 130% more likely. The president of the Iranian Psychiatric Association stated that the level of 'indifference' and 'irresponsibility' within the Ministry of Health, including the absence of the Director General of Counseling and Social Health at this meeting, is unprecedented. He remarked, 'We all know what has happened to tariffs and residents over the years, and what the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council has done to medicine in the country. These are all clear and even deliberate.' The Iranian Psychiatric Association has requested the formation of a committee of specialists with the 'necessary authority' for 'immediate intervention' in this matter in a letter to the President. This association has sent two letters to the Ministry of Health in the past four months, both of which have gone unanswered. Some civil activists have pointed out the Ministry of Health's neglect of this issue alongside its special emphasis on addressing 'improper hijab' among staff. The increase in suicide rates among healthcare workers in Iran, especially residents, has become newsworthy in recent years, particularly following the additional pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the government-affiliated newspaper 'Iran' reported that enduring 'long and consecutive shifts' and spending '540 hours a month' in healthcare facilities has created 'heavy burdens' for residents. According to this government organ, 'the chronic and excessive fatigue of residents' and the creation of 'economic problems' have not only led to 'severe reductions in learning load and quality of education, increased medical errors, and decreased patient care' in healthcare facilities but have also increased the rate of 'dropouts' among medical specialty students. The medical crisis and widespread migration of healthcare workers in Iran have intensified over the past two years, with repeated warnings about the consequences of this issue. According to statistics announced by the spokesperson for the Medical System Organization, the migration of the medical community has doubled compared to the years before COVID-19, and Iran is now exporting doctors to all five continents. Although there are no precise statistics on the migration of healthcare workers, surveys from the Iranian Migration Observatory indicate that 54% of doctors and nurses had a high or very high desire to migrate in the summer of 2022. 24% have decided to migrate, and 7.5% have taken action to migrate, while the desire to migrate has significantly increased following recent protests in Iran. The newspaper 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' reported last year that over the past four years, 16,000 general practitioners and 30,000 healthcare workers have migrated from the country. The head of the Medical System Organization recently stated that he refrains from providing numbers regarding the migration of doctors due to potential 'misuse' but emphasized that accurate news and statistics regarding migration and its pace have been communicated to officials. Meanwhile, Bahram Einollahi, the Minister of Health in Raisi's government, mentioned the recruitment of '10,000 nurses annually,' stating, 'When our training increases, we will no longer have anxiety about exits.' He previously referred to the migration issue of healthcare workers as 'a lie' and stated that if anyone from the medical community migrates, they will not be offered a job 'unless they do something else.'