Masoud Pezeshkian, a member of the Iranian parliament, has expressed concern about the increasing migration of healthcare professionals, posing a threat to the country’s healthcare system.
In an interview with Rouydad 24, Pezeshkian pointed out that while there is a lack of precise statistics on the emigration of doctors, it is clear that a significant number have left Iran for various reasons.
“Those who have chosen to stay often struggle with low salaries, making it difficult to maintain their standard of living. With monthly incomes equivalent to $200 to $300, many healthcare professionals find it hard to afford housing and their children’s education,” he stated.
Driven by economic difficulties, professional limitations, and a lack of social and political freedoms, a growing number of healthcare professionals, including physicians, dentists, midwives, and nurses, have either emigrated in recent years or are actively planning to do so.
He highlighted that the main reason for the exodus is financial, as low salaries and high living costs push professionals to seek better opportunities abroad. Despite Iran’s abundant resources, such as oil, gas, minerals, water, and a well-educated workforce, mismanagement and a failure to efficiently utilize these resources contribute to the country’s economic challenges.
Pezeshkian concluded by warning that the consequences of the ongoing healthcare professional migration crisis will become apparent in the coming years, a sentiment that has been echoed for many months, and has worsened since the uprising of the Women, Life, Freedom movement last September.
In February, Mohammad Sharifi-Moghadam, a member of the central council of Iran’s Nurses’ Organization, estimated that between 2,500 to 3,000 nurses emigrate from Iran annually.
More recently, in May, MP Hossein Ali Shahriari, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s Health and Treatment Committee, stated that around 10,000 healthcare practitioners have left Iran over the past two years to work in the Arab world.