Head of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Reports Shortage of Specialists in 48 Medical Fields

As the human resource crisis in the country's healthcare network continues and warnings about the consequences of healthcare personnel leaving the country escalate, the head of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences has announced that there is a shortage of specialist and super-specialist doctors in 48 medical fields in this province. The website 'Khabar Online' quoted Behrouz Karkhanai as saying: 'The per capita and doctor-to-population ratio in Hamadan province is 0.95 percent, while the national ratio is 1.6 percent.' Meanwhile, the newspaper Etemad also warned in its issue today, Saturday, January 22, about the shortage of skilled doctors over the next three years, stating that it costs one billion tomans to train each general practitioner. The report emphasized that there is currently a severe shortage across all medical sectors in the country. Etemad also noted that over the past three years, due to 'inaccurate and sometimes possibly biased assessments within the Ministry of Health, especially during the previous government,' there was a 20 percent increase in student admissions in dentistry, pharmacy, and other medical fields between 2021 and 2024, which is far beyond the capacity and infrastructure capabilities of the country. Critics, however, view Etemad's perspective as shifting the blame onto the Raisi administration, believing that the issues in the medical and nursing community are more deeply rooted than decisions made in recent years, evidenced by the massive migration of nurses, accumulated demands, long-standing professional protests, and the economic crisis faced by households. In this context, the government newspaper of the Islamic Republic reported on December 20 that 'in the first eight months of this year, another 4,500 healthcare personnel have sought to emigrate.' Previously, it was also reported that '7,000 doctors, nurses, and healthcare personnel had also sought to emigrate in 2023.' The official government media in Iran described the 'migration of 11,500 healthcare personnel' in less than two years as a 'bitter reality' and emphasized that 'if a solution is not found soon,' we will witness 'the decline of the medical community and its harmful consequences at the national level.' This issue has raised warnings from experts in recent years. In line with these warnings, Mohammad Sharifi Moghaddam, Secretary-General of the 'Nurses House,' recently emphasized that 'given the current dollar rate and nurses' salaries in Iran, this profession is by no means attractive.' According to the Secretary-General of the Nurses House, compared to European countries where nurses can earn between $4,000 to $10,000, Iranian nurses only receive $200 to $250, which is the main reason for migration. The emigration of over 4,000 healthcare personnel in the first eight months of this year, two murders, and 13 injuries among healthcare personnel in one year, zero admissions in cardiology, pediatrics, anesthesia, and emergency medicine, and 90 percent of university graduates employed in unrelated jobs, have been reported. The former head of Tehran University of Medical Sciences stated that the wave of nurse migration to Germany has begun.