On August 24, protests and strikes by nurses and medical employees intensified in Iran, spreading to extra cities and medical facilities. Several nurses have been cited and arrested for participating within the demonstrations.
The authorities’s new Minister of Health, Medical Care and Education, Mohammad Reza Zafarghandi, promised to deal with the protesters’ considerations “as quickly as attainable and inside the limits of the nation’s capabilities,” however the nurses continued to protest, declaring that they have been “bored with listening to empty guarantees” and will now not tolerate the established order, citing low wages and tough working situations.
According to a supply near the nurses’ union, on Saturday, nurses from Babol, Qaemshahr, Sabzevar, Khorramabad, Isfahan, Shahreed and Khomeinisha joined their colleagues in different cities throughout the nation to stage sit-ins, refuse to attend work shifts and demand improved residing situations via slogans and protest placards.
The protesters’ calls for embrace:
Revision of nurses’ salaries. Proper implementation of the Nursing Fees Act. Fair Workmen’s Compensation and Housing Rights. Elimination of pressured additional time. Proper implementation of the Diligence Act. Eligibility to retire after 20 years of service. Settlement of previous unpaid salaries.
But the safety measures haven’t deterred protests. Online movies present nurses in Khorramabad chanting slogans similar to “Without nurses, the system collapses” and “Enough guarantees, our wallets are empty.” In Babol, protesters marched chanting “Nurses, shout on your rights,” whereas in Khomeinisha, Isfahan province, demonstrators known as for unity and criticized embezzlement.
Protests have unfold to 36 cities and greater than 60 hospitals since August 1. Emergency medical and nursing professionals in Isfahan have additionally joined the motion, demanding increased salaries, additional time pay, implementation of customs duties, renewal of emergency autos and hiring of recent employees.
The Nurses Protest Coordinating Council issued a press release urging nurses throughout the nation to demand the discharge of their detained colleagues and an finish to safety and judicial prosecutions. The council additionally known as on artists, athletes, attorneys and different influential figures to assist and promote the nurses’ motion.
As the protests develop, Iran’s well being care system is beneath rising strain to deal with long-standing grievances of nursing employees. The coming days will probably be essential to see whether or not the regime takes concrete steps to satisfy protesters’ calls for or whether or not the battle will escalate additional.