Last week, one other Iranian nurse tragically took her personal life. He was 32 years outdated from Kermanshah. A heart specialist additionally dedicated suicide within the first week of April.
These two heartbreaking incidents have exacerbated the already alarming drawback of well being employee suicide. The foremost purpose behind these tragic acts is believed to be work-related stress and psychological stress on medical workers.
unstable employment situations
Despite extreme nursing shortages, hospitals typically solely supply short-term labor contracts of 89 days. This sort of contract disadvantaged nurses of many rights and subsequent claims upon unemployment, leading to nurses being known as “seasonal employees.”
calls to motion ignored
Despite warnings from the Iranian Psychiatric and Scientific Association to the Ministry of Health concerning the severe psychological state of well being employees, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising variety of suicides, the Ministry of Health has did not rectify the scenario. No concrete actions have been taken to enhance. .
News of migration and suicide amongst well being employees has develop into a precedence in media protection. Although the precise variety of nurse suicides shouldn’t be formally disclosed, the numbers are alarming.
latest tragic occasions
On April 9, the suicide of Sasan (32), a nurse at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Kermanshah, made headlines.
Ironically, he labored within the poison management unit, which handles suicide circumstances, and died in the identical unit. According to studies, he ended his life on account of psychological anguish after his contract was not renewed.
In August final yr, a male nurse dedicated suicide on the identical hospital by ingesting aluminum phosphide tablets, and two days later a feminine nurse died at one other hospital in Kermanshah.
Alarming statistics and calls for for change
Mohammad Sharifi Moghaddam, director-general of the Nursing Institute, mentioned the variety of younger nurses dying in Iran this yr was excessive, however didn’t present particular statistics.
She believes that this ambiance is oppressive for nurses and that every one workers are accountable for creating such an atmosphere.
Fariborz Daltazi, president of the Iranian Society of Educational Psychology, mentioned the scenario for nurses is especially worrying because of the nature of their work.
Citing a survey performed in 2021 amongst nurses in Malaya Municipality, it mentioned, “15.38% of nurses suffered from average to extreme despair and 46.47% had average to extreme nervousness. 27.56% had suicidal ideas and 9.94% have been making ready to commit suicide.
Since the publication of those alarming findings, no report has been revealed on rectifying and enhancing the scenario for nurses.
Understaffing and overwork
According to the World Bank, Iran has solely two energetic nurses for each 1,000 folks, primarily based on knowledge from the World Health Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Health Workforce Statistics. The historical past of Iran dates again to 2018.
Nurses are presupposed to work 44 hours every week or 175 hours a month, however on account of staffing shortages in most facilities, nurses typically need to work 300 to 400 hours.
Overtime pay for these nurses in public hospitals is calculated at simply 20,000 tomans (about $0.50) per hour.
Iranian nurses are protesting over staffing shortages, job insecurity and low wages that disrupt their livelihoods.
Nurse outflow and inaction
In November final yr, the final secretary of the nursing home mentioned: “Patients are dying on account of a scarcity of nurses.More than 3,000 nurses to migrate from this nation yearly, however the Ministry of Health can not even add this quantity to the medical workers.” I haven’t.”
In the summer season of 2023, the pinnacle of a nursing system group mentioned, “20,000 to 30,000 nurses are unemployed within the nation, and we face a scarcity of greater than 100,000 nurses.”
Tragic suicides, alarming statistics, and determined requires motion spotlight the pressing want for speedy and complete measures to handle the plight of Iran’s medical workers, particularly nurses.