Health Minister Takes on School Supervisor Role; 'Eyelash and Nail Extensions' Banned for Healthcare Staff

The Health Minister of the Islamic Republic has announced that 'nail and eyelash extensions' are prohibited for doctors and all hospital staff; an action that some healthcare workers have compared to the oversight of a 'school supervisor' in the 1980s. The government news agency 'Fars' reported this news, quoting Bahram Einollahi, stating that 'violators will be dealt with.' This news agency considers the ban on 'nail and eyelash extensions' for hospital and healthcare personnel as one of the 'public demands' that has been realized through 'campaigns supported by Fars.' This media entity, linked to security agencies, justified such action by stating that in the text of one of these 'campaigns,' it is mentioned that 'nail extensions are a quick way to transmit bacteria and viruses.' Bahram Einollahi, Health Minister of Ebrahim Raisi's government, also claimed that similar guidelines exist in other countries and that the transmission of viruses and contamination to patients must be prevented. These statements come at a time when Einollahi's 'irresponsible' behavior in December of this year, when he appeared with a news crew and cameraman in a delivery room during a woman's childbirth, sparked significant controversy both from a health perspective and from the 'religious aspect' emphasized by the Islamic Republic. Einollahi, along with personnel from the Islamic Republic's television, was present in the delivery room under the pretext of inaugurating a hospital, and his accompanying team also broadcast a visual report of this action. The newspaper 'Farhikhtegan' reacted to this action, stating: 'Bahram Einollahi, the Health Minister, disregarded all surgical room protocols for a promotional report on the inauguration of a hospital in Fardis Karaj and entered the delivery room of a woman whose husband is not even allowed to be present in this room according to the rules of many public hospitals.' Critics believe that the recent actions of the Health Ministry in banning makeup and nail extensions are in line with the implementation of the 'Chastity and Hijab' bill, which in some cases has seen Health Ministry officials move ahead of the bill. This bill is still in the back-and-forth process between the parliament and the Guardian Council and has not yet become 'law.' In this context, the news agency Mehr reported on September 20 that the Health Ministry, in order to 'regulate and standardize' the behavior and dress of students and assistants in medical schools and universities across the country, has revised the dress code after 10 years and communicated it to universities for the academic year 1403-1402. Adherence to religious limits in looking at and talking to 'non-mahrams,' maintaining ethical decorum, 'chewing gum,' and 'laughing' are among the issues addressed by the Health Ministry in this directive. The response of Raisi's government Health Ministry to the presence of the minister and reporter in the delivery room was that it was in 'full compliance with religious regulations.'