Exclusive; Dr. Attari: The 'Establishing Educational Justice' Law is a Cage Built by the Government to Prevent the Exit of Elites

The Director General of Legal Affairs at Iran's Ministry of Health has requested universities to provide the names of those 'refusing to fulfill their commitments' under the 'Establishing Educational Justice' law to prevent their exit from the country. The law, known as the 'Establishing Educational Justice in the Admission of Students to Graduate and Specialized Programs,' which was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 2022, obligates students in medical specialties to serve in the country for a duration equal to their study period or double that, and prohibits them from leaving the country before fulfilling this commitment. Dr. Mohammad Kazem Attari, a physician and social medicine researcher, told Voice of America that previously, the basis for the commitment to serve domestically was the liberation of the degree, and if someone wanted to leave the country before completing their commitment, they would pay a fee to the government based on the remaining time, and their degree would be released. Under the new law, individuals will not even have passports until the end of their service commitments. Dr. Attari pointed out that these individuals will no longer be able to travel for leisure or participate in scientific conferences, stating: 'With the start of studies in medical specialties, a permission to enter a prison is effectively signed, which includes the duration of study in specialized medical courses and seven years or more of service.' Dr. Attari said this situation reflects the 'helplessness' of the government in providing conditions where individuals feel secure, have career prospects, and enjoy freedom and peace. He added: 'To prevent individuals from leaving the country, the government has created a cage for them instead of ensuring economic well-being, job security, and social freedoms.' Dr. Attari believes this will have significant consequences, including a decrease in applicants for these fields. He stated: 'As a result, elites will not want to lock themselves in a cage for 14 years, and over time, individuals with lesser knowledge and abilities will replace them, ultimately transforming Iranian medicine, which was once among the best in the world, into something that only meets basic necessities.' This year, 800 seats remained vacant in the assistant admission exam. Nader Tavakoli, the head of the Iranian Emergency Medicine Association, also reported on January 7 that seats in the 'Emergency Medicine' specialty were left unfilled, stating that one-fourth of '2,500 emergency medicine specialists' do not work in emergency departments due to poor job conditions. In recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, the migration of healthcare personnel from Iran has accelerated. The spokesperson for the Iranian Medical System Organization stated on December 16 that 'the requests for migration from healthcare personnel have increased tenfold in the past five years.' Reza Laripour wrote on social media that the increase in migration requests from specialists, subspecialists, and fellows over the past five years has been more than eightfold, with dentists fivefold and pharmacists threefold. Previously, an orthopedic resident who was a general practitioner in Iran and recently migrated told Voice of America that some individuals without 'any specific capabilities' were placed in positions they did not belong to due to quotas and had more advantages than others, which always left him feeling hopeless. This orthopedic resident explained that the 'inhuman' workload and 'meager' salaries, along with the regime's negative propaganda that created a sense of distrust among the public, made life difficult for him and many others. At the same time, the prevalence of 'suicide' among Iran's healthcare personnel has raised significant concerns about the physical and mental pressure on them. The newspaper 'Etemad' reported on January 17 that in the past ten months, 16 medical assistants have committed suicide. 'Etemad' published this news citing Babak Shekari, the educational and research deputy of the Medical System Organization, noting that three suicides occurred just last week. The Ministry of Health's directive for residents; continuing education under collateral conditions. Migration or escape from a prison the size of a country; I escape, I do not migrate. Special working group meeting; the rate of suicide among the resident population is up to five times higher than other groups. Hospitals will be empty of 'Emergency Medicine' in the coming years. Warning from the head of the Iranian Medical System Organization; increasing medical capacity without infrastructure is 'treason.' The head of the Nursing Organization: 10,000 of the 'purest nurses' have migrated.