The head of the Anesthesia and Special Care Association of Iran has warned that a number of operating rooms in various Iranian hospitals are facing closure due to a shortage of anesthesia.
Mohammad Mehdi Ghiamat said: “With the approach of the New Year holidays, only emergency cases can be taken to operating rooms, and the situation for other patients will remain unclear.”
The Mehr News Agency reports that despite repeated warnings to officials about the serious dangers posed by the shortage of anesthesia in hospitals, no action has been taken.
Earlier, an MP criticized the hold-up of medical drugs at customs. He claimed $140-million worth of medical drugs were being held there.
Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi was dismissed from her position as health minister by order of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, after she became too critical of the administration’s failure to provide the necessary funds to her ministry.
The Iranian national currency has fallen sharply in the past year, resulting in a steep rise in prices. Meanwhile, international sanctions against Iran’s financial sector have severely restrained the import of medical drugs by Iranian companies.
