On the eve of the Day of Nurses, 1,000 Iranian nurses from across the country gathered in front of the Iranian Parliament to protest the government’s failure to implement regulated rates for nursing services.
ILNA reports that the protesters say the new health bill has resulted in large pay increases for physicians in hospitals and clinics, even as it dumps more work on nurses, who have not seen a significant change in their salaries.
The report adds that the head of Parliament’s Workers Commission and Social Services Commission appeared among the protesters, but the protesters demanded a response from the health commission and the Minister of Health.
The nursing community has made several attempts in the past year to have its demands heard by the administration, including two open letters to the president, several petitions forwarded to Parliament and several demonstrations and sit-ins in front of Parliament.
Nurses believe their services have not been appreciated and adequately compensated due to the Ministry of Health’s physician-focused mentality. Meanwhile, the ministry has reported a serious shortage of nurses all across the country, with a ratio of one nurse for every 1,000 patients.
