Poverty in Iran is having a widespread impact, with Sajjad Ahmadi, the Deputy of Development, Management, and Resources at the Imam Reza Educational and Medical Center in Tabriz, reporting an average of 150 emergency escapes per month due to the inability of low-income individuals to afford medical treatment.
A report by the regime’s Statistical Center in October 2023 revealed that healthcare expenses accounted for about 9.1% of urban household expenditure, ranking third after housing and fuel, as well as food and tobacco.
Khabar Online also emphasized the high costs of visiting hospitals and treatment centers, stating that healthcare expenses have risen to a level where many families cannot afford them, exacerbating the economic class divide in healthcare.
Furthermore, the promised reduction in drug shortage and realistic drug prices through the “Darouyar” plan by the Ministry of Health in 2022, were not fulfilled, with drug prices increasing significantly and some items becoming scarce or unavailable.
This rise in medicine prices can be attributed to the endemic corruption in Iran’s healthcare and medicine industries, with mafia-style management causing fluctuations and surges in prices.
Regime-run organizations control 70% of the medicine market, controlling supplies and prices with no regard for the people’s welfare. Reports also indicate that there is no shortage of medicine in Iran’s black market, but the prices are too high for most people to afford.
Despite acknowledging the existence of the medicine mafia, regime officials have not taken any action to stop it, likely due to their own organizations being deeply involved in this corrupt network.