Oct 07 2024 8 mins
Welcome to this episode of the NCRI Women’s Committee Podcast, where we shine a light on the suffering and struggle of women in Iran.
Today, we’re focusing on a critical issue in Iran’s healthcare sector that has been escalating in recent months. Nurses across the country have been speaking out, not only in protests but also through a concerning rise in resignations and emigration.
The situation for Iranian nurses has been dire for years, but this past summer saw a tipping point. Their demands for fair pay, humane working conditions, and an end to mandatory overtime have been ignored by the government for far too long. And with hundreds of nurses leaving every month, Iran’s healthcare system is under immense pressure.
Let’s start with some background. Iranian nurses have been vocal about their working conditions for quite some time. Nursing is a physically and mentally demanding job, but in Iran, it’s taken to another level.
Many nurses are forced to work two consecutive shifts just to make ends meet, only to find themselves still below the poverty line. And then, there’s the chronic shortage of nursing staff.
Iran currently has a severe shortage of nurses—around 100,000 fewer than needed. This gap has led to unbearable working hours for those who remain, which explains the steady rise in emigration. Each year, thousands of nurses seek better conditions abroad. Some reports even state that up to 3,000 nurses have left annually.
These working conditions have a tragic human cost, too. In August, we saw protests erupt after the heartbreaking death of Parvaneh Mandani, a 32-year-old nurse from Fars Province. She collapsed and passed away due to overwork, which the media described as a case of "Karoshi syndrome" or death from overwork—a term more common in countries like Japan but now becoming tragically relevant in Iran.