Former Head of Tehran University of Medical Sciences: The Wave of Nurse Migration to Germany Has Begun

The head of the Health Ministry's committee in the 'Medical Council Steering Committee' reported in an interview with a Tehran-based newspaper about the widespread migration of nurses to Germany, stating that in recent years, 30,000 faculty members from hospitals have emigrated. Ali Jafarian, former head of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, told Ham-Mihan newspaper that new hospitals have been built in this university, but many of their sections remain inactive due to a lack of nursing staff, and we have been waiting for a year to recruit staff for the vascular surgery department of Imam Khomeini Hospital. According to Jafarian, many doctors leave the country right after their general training. This member of the Supreme Medical Council of Tehran emphasized that the issue is not the lack of trained students, but rather that 'there are no conditions for them to stay, the most important reason being hope; hope for the future.' This member responsible for the Health Ministry's committee in the cabinet selection steering committee of the fourteenth government stressed: 'We are facing a wave of nurse migration to Germany, nurses are learning German in order to leave the country.' In this regard, Abolghasem Abotalebi, a member of the Supreme Nursing Council, also stated in July of this year that the migration of nurses has reached a crisis point and the government needs to address this crisis. Fereydoun Moradi, another member of the Supreme Nursing Council, mentioned in July that the living conditions of nurses have become unsolvable, with 150 to 200 nurses emigrating from the country every month. The Nurse House also expressed concern on Saturday, August 27, about the migration of experienced Iranian nurses to other countries, describing the nursing situation in Iran as 'tragic' and stating: 'Our nurses are being recruited by Western countries and the Gulf region at the peak of their experience.' Mohammad Sharifi-Moghadam emphasized in an interview with 'Shargh Network': 'Every year, 12,000 nursing students enter universities in the country, and approximately the same number of graduates are ready to enter the job market as nurses, but a small percentage of these graduates are employed and working in Iran.' Healthcare staff in Iran face numerous challenges, including the ambiguity of certain fixed-term contracts, delays in salary and benefits payments, and the disproportionate nature of some service tariffs. Furthermore, members of this profession have also faced security and health challenges such as being assaulted by some patients' companions or dying from complications related to infectious diseases like during the COVID-19 pandemic while performing their duties. Nurses and healthcare workers in Iran have repeatedly held protest gatherings in various cities over the past years and months regarding their job situation and its problems. Currently, one of the largest nurses' strikes is taking place and continuing in various cities across the country. Images from the nurses' gathering in Mashhad: 'If there are no nurses, the hospital is closed.' Other images from the protest gathering of nurses and healthcare staff in Arak: 'We are tired of promises.' Protest gathering of nurses and healthcare staff in Yasuj: 'Our agreement is every day.' Protest gathering of nurses and healthcare staff in Arak: 'If we don't get our rights, we won't go to our shifts.' Protest gathering of nurses in Mashhad: 'We fought COVID, we received no support.' Nurses from Mashhad and Yasuj and healthcare staff from Arak have also joined the protests. The Nurse House expressed concern over the migration of nurses; Sharifi-Moghadam considers this situation 'tragic.' Nurses' strike in Nourabad Mamassani; healthcare staff protesting power cuts in Marand have stopped working.